The Scent of Autumn, the Feel of Winter
by MadiSano
Summary: If Sano's the sun, Megumi's the moon. If Megumi’s the river, Sanosuke’s the wind. Enter and explore the Rooster and the Fox’s problematical relationship, of how two people so opposed, could so wonderfully fall in love. Series of oneshots! Make a request.
1. From That Moment On

_Story One: From That Moment On_

"What an idiot."

Takani Megumi glowered down at the sleeping Rooster on the Kamiya _Dojo's_ porch. He had crawled outside just after lunch, settling down in the pools of sunlight to take a nap.

Sanosuke now lay on his back, his hands lazily strewn over his bandaged stomach, his head reclined against the veranda and his lips parted slightly as his doze continued. Sanosuke's russet hair fell against the wooden porch, glowing honey-brown in the sunlight, three of his stringy coffee-colored bangs falling smoothly over one closed eye.

Megumi ignored the unusually endearing scene, and jadedly examined Sano's bound right hand. Of course; the wrappings looked like a dog had slobbered on them and ground a bit of hairy fur into it for good measure, and passed them onto a cat. It appeared as though the feline happily introduced the cloth to its litter box and hacked a good few hairballs upon it, before returning the binds to Sanosuke. Megumi's hard work, gone to the dogs…and cats.

"Sanosuke _no baka_," Megumi murmured, gritting her teeth. "Sanosuke _no ahou_."

It was like a little song she made up, and Megumi chanted it as she considered waking the fighter up. "King of morons, imperial highness of royal stupidity, immature Rooster prince of thoughtlessness…" Her nicknames for Sano grew more and more elaborate, until at last Megumi couldn't stand it anymore, and gave the Rooster a good poke in the belly.

"HEY!" Sanosuke woke with a start, chocolate eyes wide as the hands over his stomach tightened in defense. No one appreciated being poked in the navel; and Sano was no exception.

His shocked and angered expression was replaced by a sardonically unsurprised look when Sanosuke found Megumi towering over him. "If it isn't the Fox-Lady," he muttered, almost amused. "What do y'want this time, huh?"

Megumi pointed sagely to Sano's right hand. "That _thing_ that you claim to be your hand," she announced, "looks like it's going to fall off and wither like a dead weed."

"Thanks for noticing," Sano replied dryly, glancing down at his right fist. It stared back with a rather accusing notion. How unnerving.

Seizing Sanosuke's wrist, Megumi didn't dare touch the wraps in fear of contracting some terrible disease. "Ugh, it's disgusting," she muttered, inspecting the grubby frays of Sanosuke's dressings.

Sano flexed his fingers uncertainly. "But I haven't fought all week," he muttered.

Megumi gave him a daunting stare.

"Er, I mean," Sanosuke grinned sheepishly. "Unless ya count that one time where I cracked heads with that guy in Ruffian Row two days ago…and that jerk who wouldn't pay off his loss when gambling on Monday… or that one guy who attempted to best me at Mercy and cheated when he dislocated his fingers…"

Becoming more infuriated with her roughhousing patient, Megumi voluntarily gave Sano a slap upside the head. Ignoring his yowling insults, Megumi snapped, "You are coming with me to get those wrappings redone…right _now_."

"Yes, _Kitsune-sama_," Sanosuke drawled sarcastically, getting up after the foxy doctor as she stiffly marched into the dojo.

-

"_Oi_," voiced Sano loudly. "Where'd everybody go?"

Megumi placed a cool palm against her forehead in exasperation. "Kaoru-_chan_ and Ken-_san_ said they'd be visiting the Maekawa _dojo_ today, with Yahiko-_kun_ to train and speculate. I didn't realize they meant they'd leave so soon."

Sanosuke nodded silently, staring sheepishly at the back of the doctor's sleek raven mane. It swirled and brushed slightly against the back of his hand when Megumi turned to look at him, and Sanosuke snapped out of his reverie and glanced up innocently.

"Your hand isn't going to bind itself," Megumi said, quirking an eyebrow. With that, she strode across the room and knelt down in front of her medicine box, which she had placed like so earlier.

Sano self-consciously followed her, hiding his nerves with laid-back steps and slackened shoulders. Sitting down silently, Sanosuke rested his hand in his lap in the familiar way that he always did, awaiting Megumi's treatment.

Watching her as Megumi prepared the items and medicines, those clippers she used to sever bandages and the thick white roll of cloth… her hands worked swiftly and smoothly, without hesitation or delay; to Sano's disappointment, signifying she wasn't the least bit nervous around him at all.

_Kidding yourself again, Sagara… _Sano thought wearily. _It's beginning to get really old…_

Minutes passed, as Megumi treated Sanosuke's mangled right hand, removing the gnarled bandages with a grimace, and sheathing his fingers in crisp, snow-white cloth once more soon after applying disinfectant and such. They were unusually quiet.

_There's nothing to argue about_, Megumi thought with apprehension, though it didn't bleed through to her face. _Why? Why can't I bring myself to speak? Why don't I just make a random remark about his idiocy and instigate his irritation…why is it suddenly so difficult?_

Megumi looked up, rather crossly, at Sanosuke. _Stupid Tori-Atama! What's he doing to fool me like this?_

But Sano wasn't doing anything at all. He didn't even look at her for quite some time, until he realized she was glowering at him. "What'd I do now?" Sanosuke growled, trying to sound indifferent.

"…Nothing." Megumi went back to work, moments later finishing her therapy with a tug of the bandages.

"All done?" Sanosuke asked, awaiting the usual reply of: 'Yes, all done. Now shoo," or something of the like. Truth be told, Sano didn't like being shooed. Maybe he wanted to stay, hang around for a bit. But no, Sanosuke always let himself be shooed away like a rooster caught inside the house; and thus he always left without a squawk of complaint or a grumble of disappointment. It would be too obvious if he did…

"No," Megumi said, to Sano's surprise. "Let me look at your other hand. It looks quite messy as well."

Indeed. In effort not to completely waste Megumi's treatments, Sano had been using his left fist a lot. Bruises kissed his knuckles and soreness painted his palms; his fingernails ragged and dirty. Megumi eyed it with distaste, causing Sano to flush slightly with embarrassment.

"O…Okay," Sano muttered, and cursed himself for stammering. He held out his left hand, exposing the red wrap concealing his wrist. Sanosuke's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of it, but ignored it as Megumi's white digits extended to feel his hand for any abnormalities.

She did so, and to be sure of good condition, Megumi's hands slipped down Sanosuke's wrist. Obviously she planned to remove the scarlet wrist wrap, but Sanosuke's arm suddenly jerked away in what seemed to be fright.

"Did I hurt you?" Megumi asked, unable to help herself as she gave Sano a concerned look.

"N-No," Sano grimaced. "No, I'm fine. Just don't try that again."

The unusual seriousness and the trace of nerves in Sanosuke's bass voice aroused curiosity and worry in Megumi. "Why not?" she pestered, "If you're hurt, you need to tell me. Waiting until the wound is infected and worse than it should be won't help."

Sanosuke's features twitched in what appeared to be heartache. Megumi's eyes widened, trying to understand what Sano was suddenly so apprehensive about. "Let me see," she begged, letting her voice become soft so to let Sano know he was safe from being teased. "Please, let me see."

"I…I don't want you to," Sanosuke shook his head.

Megumi was silent for a moment, before saying, "Please show me. I promise, if it makes you feel better, to keep whatever you're hiding a secret as long as it doesn't… harm anyone."

Sano shifted uneasily, trapped. "I…I …" Stammering pitifully, Sanosuke's face began to shade a light red as he admitted inside that he was being a weakling. _Show her already_, a voice told him. _Geez, if she judges you, ya can flip her off and storm out like you'd want to. Stop being a pansy._

Hands shaking, Sanosuke's freshly wrapped right hand drifted over to his right wrist. Loosening the crimson strap, Sanosuke slowly unwound the item to reveal a wound he had not looked at for many moons.

A huge, ugly scar ground itself into the bronze wrist of Sanosuke's left arm, the slash of a blade. It chewed open Sanosuke's skin, glaring angrily out at Megumi in its pale brown color, declaring the horrifying reality of Sanosuke's broken soul.

The realization hit Megumi like a wave of blinding light. Sanosuke, at one point, had tried to kill himself. Slitting his wrist, just as Megumi had tried desperately to do not too long ago; back in Kanryuu's mansion. The seductive, glittering knife that Megumi had pressed bitterly to her wrist, an emblem of her will to die for her sin. Though, a shocked cry escaped her lips when her mission was destroyed by the bleeding hand of Sanosuke himself. The utter rage that had reflected in his dark brown orbs had shaken Megumi's soul like thunder….

"Sano…" Megumi breathed, slowly taking his scarred hand into her two. Sanosuke was deathly silent, refusing to meet the doctor's eyes, or look at her point blank. Megumi traced the old cut with her slender forefinger, shocked to find emotion broiling up inside of her stomach, wriggling its way up her throat and to her eyes.

Sanosuke, on the other hand, was filled with bitter resentment. Megumi was sympathizing with him. Pitying him…Megumi was _pitying_ him. He didn't need anyone's pity. Sanosuke didn't _want_ anyone's pity, _especially_ Megumi's.

Pulling his hand out of Megumi's grasp, Sano stiffly wrapped up his wrist again in the scarlet bandages, the ones that reminded him of the ribbons of blood that had pooled from his arm ten years ago…

"When?" Megumi asked softly. "Please tell me. Not lately?"

"Ten years," Sano said gruffly, really not wanting to answer in the first place.

Megumi nodded, biting her lip. Ten years ago…Sano had been nine then, a junior cadet in the _Sekihoutai_. No, the _Sekihoutai_ had been disbanded, slaughtered…Sano's captain mercilessly executed before Sanosuke's young eyes. Then…?

"Over Sagara-_taichou_," Megumi murmured.

Sanosuke blinked, and nodded awkwardly. He didn't want to say yes. He didn't want to speak at all. Talking about this made him feel like a delinquent and a mental case. Sanosuke growled softly, huffing. "_Aa_…thanks for the treatment. Gotta go."

About to stand, Sanosuke was surprised when Megumi suddenly seized his arm. He looked into her desperate eyes, unsure of what this meant. "Then," Megumi asked, "Why did you save me? Back at Kanryuu's mansion, I mean… if you knew how I felt, why did you stop me from… from killing myself?"

Sanosuke swallowed loudly, staring back into Megumi's magenta eyes. "I…" Sano stammered again, and then looked away. "I guess I… just thought… that if I got a second chance to live, even when I tried to… y'know… I thought you deserved one even more."

"Why?" Megumi pestered.

Sano snorted in humorless laughter. "Because I'm a good-for-nothing, gambling, procrastinatin' drunk," he replied, "and you're a classy, smart…" The word left him before he could stop it. "…beautiful woman."

An awkward, shocked silence crept upon the two. Sanosuke averted his eyes to the floor, turning scarlet. "Urk… I m-mean… well…" _Sagara!_ He thought to himself. _You idiot! You're finally stupid enough in your life to let that one slip, so take advantage of yourself and tell her whatcha think._ "I mean…well, uh, you're very pretty n'all… so yeah…"

_Smooth. Really smooth, Sanosuke no baka_, came that deriding voice, and Sano felt himself turn ruby red. Megumi looked at him in utter awe; disbelieving such bashful words could ensue from the usually obnoxious fighter's lips.

And she smiled; really, truly smiled at Sanosuke. The motion completely boggled Sano amid his embarrassment, and he barely registered Megumi's words. "Thank you, Sano," Megumi whispered, feeling herself grow pink, though her voice became solemn soon enough. "But… are you… is that really why you caught that knife?"

"No," Sanosuke felt his hands flood with sweat. Whoever what in charge of the object supposed to be his brain was seriously scaring him. Since when did Sagara Sanosuke become so infuriatingly weak-willed and honest? "I… caught that knife 'cause I really… I wanted to make up for being such an ass to you. I realized I, um… really…"

"Really what?" Megumi asked, though she suddenly knew very well of what Sano was trying to tell her.

"…From that second I caught the knife you tried to slight your wrist," Sanosuke murmured, again slipping off the red tie that concealed his scar. "…the mark on my arm has been fading away slowly. It's been healing, Megumi. I cut myself because I hated myself, not being able to save Sagara-_taichou_… I held a grudge against myself, and that scar has always been a bright red until I caught that blade of yours. And then, it began to heal."

Finding that it was suddenly a lot easier to speak, Sano continued in a bare, shaking whisper, "Instead of hate, my fights were filled with confidence that I could win, knowin' that I'd get to see you later… I began t'like myself, Meg… I began to forgive myself for being such a lazy moron who couldn't get a real job even if it tied itself down fer me. I began to forgive myself for what happened to the _Sekihoutai_, it became easier t'tell myself it wasn't my fault…Hell, I was nine years old and couldn't do much even if I had th'chance…"

"All because I caught that blade o'yers, Megumi," Sanosuke sighed, closing his eyes. "…From that second on…I belonged to you."

Megumi gaped in flattered shock at the boy sitting in front of her. Could what Sano was implying be true? Was his rage healing really because of her? Did Sanosuke really belong to Megumi, like the fighter truly believed?

"Sanosuke…" Megumi whispered, putting her hand overtop his. Sano tensed, waiting for the inevitable rejection he expected to hear from the scarlet lips he had longed to kiss. "I think you misunderstand."

Sanosuke's heart gave a dejected thud. _Kidding myself…_ he thought, blinking miserably and looking down into his lap.

"From the moment you caught that knife, Sano," Megumi said, a smile shattering her lips. "I belonged to _you_."

His eyes flicked up in disbelief. She _what_? "Uhm…" he stuttered, unsure of how to reply. Talk about a twist of fate! "You… you… y-yeah?" His voice cracked again in his last word, and Sanosuke gave Megumi an awkward little grin.

Megumi laughed, causing Sanosuke's heart to jump with delight. "Yes, Sano," she smiled on, unable to stop herself from laughing again as her body gave in to her longings, and she abruptly raised herself on her knees, near to tackling the surprised man in embrace.

Sanosuke savored the feeling of Megumi's closeness and undeniable _realness_ as he enfolded her in his arms. Megumi buried her face into the juncture between Sanosuke's neck and shoulder, feeling utterly safe and at home in the insanely strong man's arms.

_From the moment you caught that knife, Sano…I belonged to you. _Her words echoed and swirled in Sano's mind, as a smile spread his lips. He slid open his honey brown eyes to look down at Megumi, to find she had closed hers. Lifting his left hand to entangle his fingers in Megumi's hair, Sanosuke caught sight of the grudge-bearing scar on his wrist. The scar, the mark that had irritated and caused hatred inside of him for ten years; the cut that had been steadily healing due to Megumi's companionable friendship, and now her newborn affection.

It was gone.

_OWARI._

_MadiSano: _Hey there, I'm back! LOL actually I'm still working on Revolution & Restoration (check it out if you haven't already!), but I've been pining to write some SanoMeg-only fics. So I decided, what better to do than make a fic containing random SM one-shots? This is my first one so far in this series, so please review to tell me how I did. I had a great time writing this first fic, though it was sad at points. I tried writing it in a different style than what I usually do, so review and tell me if you like it!

Future one-shot ideas for this will be considered...so if you have any suggestions, I will absolutely love you and give you special thanks for it if you notify me in a review! SM forever, and I hope to see you all soon. Ja!


	2. Mine

_Story Two: Mine _

Her steps were quiet and nervous, as though afraid if she made one small noise, the world would explode around her. Megumi clutched her purse tightly; burgundy eyes flashing in all directions as moonlight the color of sour milk shadowed her face.

It was late at night, and Megumi was walking back to the clinic by herself. Usually, that idiot Rooster-Head Sano or even little Yahiko would walk her home, when Megumi ran errands after visiting the dojo; but when Megumi had left, it had been broad daylight.

Unfortunately, her treatment had taken longer than expected, and the sun had long sunk beneath the earth when Megumi had left her patient's home. The elderly chap she had been nursing was far too old to walk her home, though he had been polite in offering for his son to escort her. Megumi had declined. The way the young man's eyes shifted made Megumi doubt his integrity, and Megumi felt safer (at that point) going home alone.

And now, here was the fox lady, shivering with nervousness and cold in the night air. What if she was ambushed? A pretty lady like Megumi wouldn't go unnoticed from the eyes of men.

She had never longed for companionship as badly as she did now, even if it was out of fear. The looming shadows cast in the dark alleys of Tokyo, and the soft noises of creatures moving and speaking in the night was enough to make Megumi pine for even Sanosuke's guiding hand.

_Sanosuke_. Megumi reddened slightly, whispering hoarsely in the cold air, "That obnoxious, useless, freeloading, dim-witted…" …sweet, talented, kind, handsome man that Megumi silently adored. She felt awkward that someone like herself would fall for a petty street thug like Sano, even though Megumi knew Sagara Sanosuke wasn't petty and most definitely not a thug.

Megumi covered up her feelings by pretending to pine after Kenshin, hugging him and making sly comments to the redhead and watching Kaoru's face turn a rather disturbing shade of scarlet. Sano seemed to believe the charade, and no one had ever questioned Megumi's undying infatuation for Himura. Except, of course, Megumi herself.

_I've never loved Ken-san_, Megumi thought bitterly as she continued to slink down the abandoned road. _I've never loved Kenshin more than I would a close friend, or a brother… but that dingbat rooster, he's always made me feel uncomfortable and embarrassed with his big grin and thoughtless remarks._ Megumi considered it an affectionate response when she unceremoniously pounded a good few canyons into Sanosuke's rooster-head with her disgustingly heavy medicine box.

Then again, there were always times where Megumi couldn't keep up her lies, and she couldn't hide her fondness of the lanky brawler. When Sanosuke had been mysteriously attacked by an unknown person (later to be found as Saitou Hajime), knocked unconscious for three days and nights… Megumi had never felt so happy as to watch over him, taking turns guarding Sano with Kaoru. The _tanuki-musume_ had no idea of Megumi's glee over the situation, since Megumi often comically slapped Sanosuke's forehead in attempt to wake him up.

But when they had been alone, when Kenshin—rather, _Hitokiri_ Battousai—was dueling with Saitou in the dojo, Megumi had finally allowed herself to touch Sanosuke's face. It was just a simple brush of her fingertips, against that sun-kissed cheek of Sanosuke's features.

His eyes had opened, ironically, in that same second. Sharp chocolate orbs stared up with confusion at the startled fox, who had removed her hand with speed excelling the _Hiten Mitsurugi_ Style. But Sanosuke said nothing, and simply stared up at Megumi with wide toffee eyes.

Of course, Megumi had blanketed the truth with explanations like, "Hm, I guess you don't have a fever then," and "Took you long enough, moron…I was considering dumping you in a coffin and getting it over with," or "What're you staring at, Rooster-Head? You look more like a raccoon than Kaoru does with your eyes bugging out."

Eventually, Megumi had been able to convince Sanosuke that her touch hadn't been affectionate by pretending she hadn't touched him at all.

_I'm a pitiful case_, Megumi thought sourly as she hobbled down the road, hugging herself in attempt to ward of the chilly night. Suddenly, she stopped. Looking around, Megumi found herself in unknown territory. The world was as dark and monotonous as ever, but the buildings were faded and tacky, unfamiliar and worn down.

_Where…?_ Megumi gasped, her jaw dropping and eyes widening with horror. _Kami-sama. I've gotten myself lost. _

And so she had. Apparently, in the worst place Megumi could have lost herself; in the slums of Tokyo where Sagara's crowd slunk in shadows like sneaking rodents.

Megumi shivered, pressing herself against a nearby wall and ducking beneath the lit window. _Oh no, oh no…_ Megumi's mind buzzed with terror. _What do I do? I don't have anything to defend myself with, and no one's here to help me…_

Shaking, Megumi licked her lips with anxiety. Slowly, as though afraid she might get caught, Megumi turned about on her heels and peered into the window just above her head.

Megumi grit her teeth. _Of all the places…_ Inside, Megumi witnessed a bunch of snickering men, the stench of cheap _sake_ gripping the air with a vice. They grasped bottles clumsily, downing the contents with absurd awkwardness and leisure.

_Great._ Megumi shivered again. _I'm stuck outside a bar full of drunken hooligans. I applaud myself; due to daydreaming I'm trapped in the worst jam I can possibly manage. _

Suddenly, an especially loud peal of laughter shattered Megumi's thoughts. "HAHAHAHAHA!" Megumi nearly jumped out of her skin, nervously turning about again to peek inside the bar. A young man with absurd auburn hair grinned widely from inside, taking a swig of his sake with boyish aptitude.

"I win!" yelled the intoxicated youth. "HAHAHAA! I win, old man! I win, win, win… pay up! Hehe…" Apparently the young man had been having a drinking contest with a middle-aged male, who was now gasping in his seat.

"Damn you…Shagara…" the loser snarled, shakily pulling out a few coins and letting them bounce onto the counter. The youth haphazardly collected them, studying each coin; even though he wouldn't know if it was real or not in his state.

"Win…haha," the boy repeated happily, taking another drink. "I win… you loshe… I win, win…"

"Shuddup, already," grumbled another man, who had a scar over his left eye. "Damned boysh dun know nuthin'… think they're sho damn shmart…"

"I _am_ sho damn shmart!" the kid announced angrily, turning to face the offending drunk.

Megumi didn't know whether to be relieved or not. Sagara Sanosuke was inside that tavern; and if she waited, she could probably get him when he came out. On the other hand, Sano was as drunk as a fish drowning in ale.

_What do I do?_ Megumi nearly felt like crying. _Kami… I'm stuck! Trapped… I can't go in after him, because then the rest of them will see me…and what if Sano's so drunk he doesn't even recognize me? It's not like I am special to him._ Megumi sighed. _I can't leave, either…I might get in an even worse situation, and without the possibility of Sanosuke intervening. _

She decided to wait it out. Somehow, Megumi would get out of this predicament. _Right?_ she asked herself silently, her hands shaking with numbness and fear. Megumi bowed her head, sending thick, sleek strands of raven hair cascading over her shoulders. Hiding in the shadow, Megumi resumed to existing as only a shivering lump in the dead of night, awaiting her fate as it crept upon her.

_KA-SMASH! _

Megumi gasped, jumping with fright. Looking up desperately, and glancing into the window again, Megumi found that Sanosuke had given the man with the scar his powerful right, sending the fool flying across the room.

"Bashtard…" Sano spat, seating himself clumsily down again. However, the companions of the now unconscious man had other ideas.

Standing, four men surrounded Sanosuke with a menacing air. Sano looked about at them with arrogance, poking out his bottom lip in that fashion Megumi knew all too well.

The man behind Sano lashed out first, nearly catching Sano in the back of the head with a _suntetsu_, or a hidden dagger. Sanosuke instead whirled around, miracle of the day that he didn't get the blade in the nose. But of course, having his Rooster luck about him, Sano slipped and fell ungracefully onto his back; managing to fling one leg up and knee the attacker where it desperately hurt.

Megumi watched Sanosuke unsystematically fight the group of angry friends, punching and kicking with only half the strength Megumi knew the fighter had. This was probably so due to the huge consumption of alcohol Sano had drank, but the powerful attacks seemed to affect his opponents even so.

The group was brought down, leaving Sano with only a few bruises and minor scratches. He looked slightly less drunk; perhaps he had sweated the _sake_ out of his system. However, Sanosuke looked quite ruffled and rather adorable to Megumi, with his agitated expression and disheveled hair.

A man Megumi supposed to be the bartender rushed to a safe distance from Sanosuke, though Megumi could tell this man was not one to cross. At least three heads taller than Sano, the burly man was muscled and bald, around the age of forty. If Sano insisted upon resisting the man, he wouldn't get away from the squabble without a broken limb or two.

"Sano…" Megumi breathed, as she watched the bartender scold Sanosuke angrily.

"Sagara, for the last time! I told you that I'd kick you out if you started another fight in my bar again!" the keeper snarled at the only half-listening Sano. Sanosuke had taken to instead balancing a sake cup on his nose. "Are you _listening_ to me?"

"Nope," Sanosuke replied, as the sake cup tumbled from its perch and fell upon the _tatami_ floor. He glowered at it with some disappointment, seizing it and trying his feat once more.

The bartender sighed. "Well then, git. You've drank more sake tonight than three men put together."

Whining, Sanosuke got up, swaying slightly as the giant man escorted him roughly to the exit. "Sh'thank me fer gettin' rid of the scum that comes into yer bar…"

"Git," repeated the bartender, and Sanosuke was unceremoniously shoved out the door. Sanosuke smirked, and was about to walk away when the door opened again, and the bartender seized the back of his jacket.

"Nice try," the man growled, snatching the stolen sake cup Sanosuke was still holding. He then let go of the bedazzled Rooster and shut the bar's door again.

Megumi gulped, scrambling to her feet as Sanosuke strolled a little unevenly down the alleyway. About to call out to him, Megumi yelped when suddenly a thick arm wrapped around her waist and a huge hand was pressed against her lips, cutting her shout off by half. "SANOS—"

Up ahead, Sanosuke fuzzily heard his name being called. Turning about in a rather dazed fashion, Sano looked for the one who had cried out his name. Finding no one, Sanosuke considered going on without a care.

But he couldn't. Something strangely familiar about the voice that had begun to call his name, something familiar about the smooth, Aizu accent caught Sano's attention. _Who…?_ His mind functioned fuzzily, unable to comprehend what precisely this situation meant.

_I dunno anyone from Aizu_, Sano thought, blinking sluggishly as he went through the unusually stubborn attempt to figure things out. Filtering through his lists of friends, Sanosuke's brain grew more and more tired. Sanosuke was on the point of giving up with a huffing sigh when it hit him like cold water. _Megumi_.

His feet shifted as though by machinery, and Sanosuke took off like a man chased by demons. Sprinting with wild fear amid his intoxication, Sanosuke desperately searched for the Fox Lady. _K'so…what's she doin' here! Megumi…!_

His feet pounded on the turf as Sanosuke urgently inspected every alleyway nearby, calling out Megumi's name. Once he tripped, landing on his face and skidding a bit, causing marks anew to appear on Sanosuke's face and chest. Spitting out a bit of dirt mixed in with sake, Sanosuke got to his knees and then his feet; sprinting off again in unrelenting haste.

"Megumi! Megumi! Megumi? Megumi! MEGUMI!" Sanosuke slid to a halt as he nearly overlooked an alleyway to his left, pushing off one leg to bullet inside the dark passage.

Crushed against the alley wall, Megumi's cheek ground into the brick of the building as she was pinned savagely to the wall by the scarred man Sanosuke had knocked out earlier. She was unharmed for the majority, thank Jesus Almighty, save for a few scratches and bruises.

Sanosuke let out a feral roar, and before the evil man could even turn Sanosuke crushed his jaw with his knuckles. The man fell to the earth with a scream, and Sanosuke jumped on him and continued to pummel him with all the fury he could muster, his drunken state wearing off quite quickly.

"_Damn_—you—_bastard_—keep—yer—hands—offa—_my_—_woman_—or—I'll—_kill_—_you_!" Sanosuke shouted, striking the offender just beneath the ribcage. Blood exploded from the man's lips, staining Sanosuke's hands and jacket. He didn't care. Taking the scarred drunk by the collar, Sanosuke got to his feet and flung the villain around and slammed him viciously into the brick building.

Pinning him by the throat, Sanosuke drew back his bloody fist and snarled into the man's face, "Well! How do YOU like being crushed against the wall like that? Does it—" Savagely pounding the man with the moon-shaped scar over his eye in the stomach, Sanosuke took him again by the collar and flung him around onto the ground. "—hurt?"

Megumi had slid down onto her knees, tears of fear sliding down her ashen cheeks as she held herself, trying to get the feelings of being hurt like that out of her mind. Shivering, Megumi sobbed as she tried to block out the noises of whoever was attacking her offender; she couldn't see amid the flooding tears.

"S-Sano…" With an alarming shudder, Megumi sobbed his name. The terror and horror she had experienced when she had realized Sanosuke hadn't even _turned around_ when she had called out his name when being kidnapped like that…the moron didn't even _turn around_.

Sanosuke paused in his onslaught and rage when he heard the bare whisper of his name. Dropping the blood and bruise saturated man, Sano cocked his head towards Megumi, appalled to see her curled up into a ball and holding her knees. Her hands were shaking, and her skirt was wet from her tears; her magenta eyes hidden behind her raven locks as she cowered in the shadow.

"Megumi…" Crawling over to his fox, Sanosuke almost reached out to touch her, but then withdrew. One who felt like Megumi did now wouldn't savor male touch. So, Sanosuke resorted to whispering into her ear. "Megumi, it's me. It's Sano. Ya don't need to be scared, I'm right here and no one's gonna hurt you like that again."

As he scooted a bit closer, Sano was aware that one lace of her smock was undone, sliding down her shoulder to reveal smooth white skin and the beginnings of her chest. As appeasing as this was, Sanosuke let no intentions come over him as he gently took off his jacket, placing it around her shoulders so Megumi remained decent without being touched.

Megumi sobbed again, squeezing her eyes shut as the rough fabric of Sanosuke's "_aku_" jacket settled around her, slaying the biting claws of the night. Holding it close around her, Megumi shivered and looked up at Sano, her eyes bleeding tears.

"S-Sano…" Megumi stammered, looking at the grief-stricken fighter sitting cross-legged next to her.

"Megumi," Sanosuke made as though to touch her arm, but silently scolded himself and placed the hand on his knee. Megumi was aware of this, realizing his train of thought. "Meg… I'm so…sorry… I heard you yell, but I was drunk and couldn't figure out who you were or where you'd gone… I was almost too late, and… and I… _Kami_, Megumi! I'm _sorry_."

Sanosuke wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, causing blood to smear on his face. He had never been good with words, and Sano had never regretted the fact until now. Why couldn't he just say something to make this all go away? Why couldn't he think of something to ensure Megumi's happiness, and her safety? To make the demons surrounding her go away? _Why_?

Megumi looked at him, her eyes huge and wet on her face; red as the blood on Sanosuke's hands and cheekbones. She knew what was inside his heart when their eyes met; Sanosuke's frantic, desperate, russet orbs locked with Megumi's frightened, shocked maroon eyes.

Sanosuke was frozen. All of the feelings he had been secretly nursing for the Fox Lady built up inside of him, coiling in his stomach and snaking their way up to his tongue, begging for him to say it. To reveal of how much Sano cherished Megumi's presence in his life, the laughs and dangers they had been through, the gratefulness for Megumi's generosity considering her free treatments that Sano never expressed, the aching love Sanosuke wished to profess.

As Sano drowned in the sea of lost words, Megumi felt her own heart thud accusingly in her ears. So long, she had never told Sano… so long, Megumi lied to the world and to herself that she could never feel for Sagara Sanosuke, and the feelings must be a test from the other side… so long, Megumi had kept herself alone and unhappy.

But what guarantee was there that telling Sano of her love would make her happy? What if Sano didn't return the affection? That would make everything utterly and disgustingly worse. And Megumi felt she couldn't take that; she would not tell Sano.

Though her lips were behaving, her body rejected this decision and went on its own accord. Getting onto her knees, Megumi slowly and gently allowed herself to crawl shyly into Sanosuke's lap, drawing her legs up to her face again and resting her chin on her knees, pressing her cheek against Sano's bare chest.

Sanosuke watched in awe and confusion as Megumi closed her eyes, her tears coming to a slow. "M-Megumi?" Sano whispered hoarsely, his voice dry from screaming at the now cataleptic man angrily minutes before.

Megumi opened her eyes and looked at him. She did nothing else, but gave Sano this dauntingly focused stare that passed right through his soul. His throat twitched when he swallowed, blinking in apprehension.

"…Can you…" Sanosuke blinked when Megumi spoke, the utter vulnerability of the doctor hitting him like a freight train at the sound of her shaking voice. She continued, repeating herself as though unsure. "Can you…make it go…away?"

In answer to his frightened and confused stare, Megumi clasped the collar of the jacket around her and pulled it down just enough to expose her shoulder. She looked back up at Sanosuke with a haunted expression that sent an anxious chill up Sano's spine. "It burns. My…my skin does."

Sanosuke, glancing at Megumi for granted permission, lifted his left hand and lightly touched her shoulder. Megumi shivered at the cold contact, and Sano panicked slightly. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her further, even if it was just because of the cold.

To his surprise, however, Megumi's hand floated up and pressed his barely touching fingertips against her arm, until Sano was holding her. His other arm came around her waist, pulling Megumi closer to Sanosuke in embrace.

Megumi looked up at Sanosuke again, making him shiver as well. Her eyes looked so haunting; her wine-red irises bleached around the center rim from the moonlight. "It feels better," she whispered softly, shaking and she pressed her face into Sano's chest again. "But only there… when Sanosuke touches me, it becomes hard for me to remember…"

"Where else did he touch you?" came Sano's soft question, hoping in this way, he could make those demons flee. Sanosuke's abandoned reputation as Zanza the Fighter-For-Hire had described him a demon, with his giant _Zanbatou_ and the character for wicked upon his back; the image that plagued the dreams of his opponents for months. But now, Sano had turned; and it was his job to drive the demons away.

Megumi hesitantly put her hand to her face. Sanosuke's large palm captured hers momentarily, giving the back of her hand a soft caress with his thumb before freeing it. Cupping her cheek gently, Sanosuke stroked Megumi's face as she leaned into his chest again. Her face was wonderfully smooth and soft, so unlike Sanosuke's scruffy and rough cheek. A difference that Sano revered and respected; making sure to make his feelings clear through his complete gentleness, and the elaborate effort he put into tracing patterns of happy things with his fingers and palm onto Megumi's pastel features.

Next Megumi motioned to her collarbone. Sanosuke knew what she really meant, but couldn't bring himself to touch her there. So, instead, he arched his neck and buried his face into Megumi's shoulder, nudging her own out of the way by nuzzling her cheek. Megumi let her head fall to the side, resting in the forest of spiky tresses, otherwise Sanosuke's 'Rooster' hair.

Pressing his lips to Megumi's collarbone, Sano felt her tense and glanced up to double check she was okay with that. Megumi looked a little embarrassed, unsure of how to reply.

Lifting his head, Sanosuke stared into Megumi's nervous eyes, blinking before leaning forward to put his forehead gently against hers. Blinking again, Sano looked curiously into Megumi's eyes, which had widened slightly due to Sano's closeness.

"Megumi," he whispered, Sanosuke's warm breath sliding down Megumi's neck like balmy water. "Takani Megumi… are you scared of me?"

_What kind of question is that?_ Megumi wondered, refusing to look away from Sano. _Why would I be afraid of him, especially now? He's made me feel… feel…_ "No," Megumi murmured back, confused and nervous.

Sanosuke blinked again, the motion oddly languid. "Then tell me what I am thinking."

Megumi's lips turned into a tight, ruby line. Feeling the words pose on her tongue, Megumi hesitated still as she delayed in replying. Should Megumi really say it? What if she was wrong, and Sano meant something else? What if Megumi completely ruined the moment with the wrong answer?

But the impending speech leapt from her tongue to her lips, spreading wings and taking flight into the air with a flurry of breath. "I… I love you?" Megumi asked in an undertone, her voice trembling.

A smile split Sanosuke's face; the quirk of his lips being an oddly calm smile, considering that it was coming from Sagara Sanosuke, aka Kenkaya Zanza. "I love _you_," Sano murmured, and chastely pressed his lips to Megumi's; careful not to let any tainted passion control his kiss, making sure to involve love alone.

Megumi closed her eyes, the residual stinging from the scarred man's touch dissolving like a sugar cube as Sanosuke's lips moved across hers. He made no suggestive nips, bites, or application for tongue; but strangely enough Megumi was filled with even more desire when Sanosuke left her, anyways.

"Sanosuke…" Megumi whispered, as the ex-Fight Merchant pulled her into a tight hug, the top of her head fit snugly beneath Sanosuke's jaw.

"I love you, Megumi," Sano breathed. "You're _mine_."

Megumi fell silent; clutching Sanosuke's broad back as she lost herself in Sanosuke's embrace and scent. He smelled like sweat and cinnamon; combined they created a scent that Megumi had only briefly caught before this point, but truth be told Megumi could simply drown herself in the fragrance.

Sanosuke watched the pleasing expression of peace without disturbance fall over Megumi, as her eyes slid shut, and sleep overtook the young lady doctor. Waiting a moment, Sanosuke shifted and slipped an arm underneath Megumi's legs, standing and carrying the fox bridal-style.

Sanosuke strolled down the alley, giving the knocked-out thug a good kick as he passed by. The sick freak was so drunk and bloodied up he didn't even groan. Sano shot him a nasty look as he carried his lady home, muttering, "I'll be back for _you_."

Politely and carefully, Sanosuke dug through Megumi's _obi_ for her house key once he had reached the fox's well-kept den. Unlocking the door and stepping inside, Sano was sure not to injure or disturb Megumi's sleep as he silently made his way to (after a bit of uncertain exploration) the location of Megumi's room.

Laying Megumi gently on her futon, Sanosuke slipped off her shoes, his aku jacket, and her smock so that Megumi was wearing only her torn kimono. Sano, unwilling to undress her completely (that might upset her in the morning), pulled the blankets over her, and laid his jacket out over top.

Bending over, Sanosuke placed a quick kiss on Megumi's forehead. "_Oyasumi nasai, Kitsune-chan_," he murmured. "Goodnight, Megumi."

-

Megumi awoke the next morning to find herself entangled in her blankets, and a familiar piece she recognized as Sanosuke's white "wicked" jacket. She blinked unsurely as last night's events came flooding back to her, and she shakily clutched her fist over her heart. Megumi glanced down at her torn kimono, and brushed her fingertips over the skin Sanosuke had comforted.

"God," she whispered. "God, how I love him…"

As if He were to say, "I know," Megumi felt a warmth blossom in her soul. She looked over to find a note placed over her folded smock and her shoes. Picking it up, Megumi found it was from Sano.

As she read it, gleeful tears came to Takani Megumi's eyes, and she immediately got up without hesitation; flinging off her blankets to flee her bedroom to find proper clothing. She couldn't help but laugh.

The note lay on her futon, unfolded to read:

_Megumi—I hoped you slept okay. I was kinda worried about you. Anyways after takin you home I went back for that one guy, and took him to the police. Ha ha you shoulda seen the look on Saitou's face when I dragged in that bastard and told the cricket chief to lock him up. Anyways hows bout me and you go for lunch today? …well, I think the most I can afford is the Akabeko's sukiyaki… uh…well, that's actually going on my tab, but I can give you lessons on how to skip bills! Aw damn…you know what I mean. Sorry. But yeah, I'll need to get my hand bandaged again…both of them are really messy this time and I think one of my fingers has been pulled out of its socket or whatever… or can that only happen to people's arms? Never mind. See ya soon, Fox Lady. –Sano _

_PS: Mine. _

_OWARI._

_MadiSano:_ I've never done a fic like this one before; it was rather serious compared to what I usually write. I hope I haven't offended anyone by including Megumi's assault, because I don't treat things like that lightly, and decided only to spare your guys of the angst I could have written here. Also, this is my first time writing a lovey-dovey scene with Sano and Megumi in that way, though I HIGHLY doubt I'll ever write an actual (this wasn't, of course,) lime scene. O . o LOL. Anyways, this fic was a bit longer than the last, and I give credit to the roots of this idea to SakuraDancer3, who gave me the idea of Megumi getting jumped by some badguys and Sano coming to the rescue! Thanks, Sakura-san, and I hope to read another of your reviews.

I remind you again; since I like to please my readers and give them something new and interesting to read, I accept requests and challenges in the forms of reviews. ...my, doesn't that little blue (or purple, whatever, lol!) button look inviting? Why not push it? Hehe... well, until next time! Ja ne!


	3. Happy Birthday, Fox Lady!

_Story Three: Happy Birthday, Fox Lady!_

"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday Fox Lady…Happy birthday to you!

How old are you? How old are you?

Ya look like an evil vixen,

And ya slap like one, too—OUCH!"

_SMACK. _Sagara Sanosuke rubbed his sore cheek anxiously as he gave Megumi a good, old fashioned glower.

"In case ya don't remember," he muttered crossly as the doctor bandaged his right hand with expertise, "you're supposed to be a doctor. And a lady, for that matter. There's a reason why I add 'lady' into 'Fox Lady.' Otherwise, I'd probably call you 'Fox Amazon' or 'the Foxy Cannibal', or maybe even the 'Barbaric, Needle-Pushing, Bitch-Slapping _Kitsune_!"

_SMACK_. "Ouch," Sano murmured again, the other cheek beginning to sting as Megumi dealt him discipline once more.

"The odd thing is," Megumi replied dryly, "in wishing me a happy birthday, you're actually supposed to try and make it _happy_. Last I checked, being called a cannibal and an Amazon isn't exactly flattering."

Sanosuke grinned, rubbing his face again with his free hand. "Yeah… well, the lyrics were good enough, _ne_?"

Megumi shook her head in disbelief. Sano prided himself in being inside of his own category of 'clever,' or at least something like it. Completing her treatment, Megumi stood simultaneously with Sanosuke. Expecting him to go off on his merry way, Megumi turned to neatly set away her medical supplies, placing each one carefully in its designed place.

She nearly jumped out of her sandals when Sanosuke spoke from close behind. "So…how old are ya, anyways?" he asked. Megumi turned her head to find him hovering over her shoulder, looking at her curiously.

_Too close_, Megumi thought, and edged closer to the table, hoping Sano would realize that he was uncomfortably close to Megumi, trapping her against the ridge of the desk. "I…It's rude to ask a woman's age," she muttered, attempted to give Sanosuke a scowl. It ended up a bit deformed; instead the expression came out rather nervous.

"Well, I guess I'm sorta the rude type, huh?" Sanosuke replied, taking no notice whatsoever of Megumi's discomfort.

Pretending to be exasperated, Megumi rolled her eyes and snorted. "True enough." Turning about, hoping he'd go away once she answered, Megumi continued putting away her items. "I am twenty-three years old as of today."

Sanosuke nodded, out of the corner of her eye. He hadn't moved a muscle besides that. "Ah." Cocking his head slightly, Sanosuke asked, "What do you want?"

Overtaken momentarily by surprise, Megumi turned about on her heel to give Sano a rather shocked look. "What?" she asked dumbly.

Sanosuke chuckled, amused. Everyone knew he was always short on money, freeloading and mooching as his career and source of income. It was no marvel at all that Megumi was astonished at his question. Repeating himself, Sanosuke said, "I asked, whatcha want for your birthday, Fox?"

Blinking, Megumi gathered her composure and turned about again, stammering slightly. "Ah…well, um, I don't really need anything. I don't want anything."

Momentarily disappointed, Sanosuke then pressed on. "Aw, c'mon. There's gotta be _somethin'_ you want for your birthday! What is it?"

_Why is he pestering me like this?_ Megumi wondered, agitated. "I really don't want anything, Rooster. Now, shoo."

Sighing, Sanosuke hesitated before backing up for the door. "Fine, Fox. I guess I'll just have to find out by myself, then!" Suddenly, Sano paused. He took on the expression as though he were considering something, and then strolled over to the door leading to the hallway.

"What are you doing?" Megumi asked, annoyed.

"Bathroom," was Sanosuke's only explanation, and he disappeared behind the door and into the hallway.

Rolling her eyes, Megumi resumed rearranging her medical ware. Just as she finished, a man with a broken leg was carried into the waiting room by two companions, begging Megumi's immediate attention. She attended to the injured one right away, forgetting completely about the Rooster's inquiring about her birthday.

-

Emerging from the lavatory, Sano strutted down the corridor with leisure. But inside, the wheels of his mind were turning, insistently focusing on the task before him. _Aw, shoot. What does she want as a gift? No way in Hell I'm getting her flowers… and the damn westerners ruined the whole ring idea; besides, I'm too cheap to buy anyone that. I'll go hungry for a week. _

Scratching his hair, Sanosuke continued his thoughts as he roamed the clinic, not bothering to head for the lobby or the exit. _So…what do I do? There has to be something she wants! Otherwise, she wouldn't be human. _

A sigh and a shy expression conquered Sanosuke's thoughtful expression, and he shuffled his feet nervously. _I sure know what _I_ want. _Sano briefly thought about how close he had allowed himself to get to the Fox Doc while asking her about her birthday gift. He had almost been close enough to smell the lavender scent in her hair, and the clean smell of her clothes; the warmth of her skin…

Snapping out of his daydream, Sanosuke found himself passing the Fox's bedroom, where she often stayed the night inside the clinic. _Maybe_, Sanosuke thought, drawing near to the door, _I'll find some clues in here. I mean, what a person values they keep, right? And that might give me an idea of what to get her…I'm not gonna be a bastard and get her nothin'…surprised I learned ahead o'time and remember her birthday, anyways… _

Pushing open the door, Sano cautiously stuck his spiky head into Megumi's room. The _tatami_ floor was as clean as the rest of the clinic, and a folded up futon and blankets were set neatly into a corner. A wooden dresser was placed against the wall, and a small painting that Sano's friend Katsu had painted for her was set against the small table near her futon.

_Nothin.' _Sanosuke pouted slightly, walking entirely into Megumi's bedroom. _Not one stinkin' poster, just Katsu's painting._ _The rest of it's as clean and unsuspicious as Kenshin's laundry._

And then, an idea occurred to him. Looking over to the dresser, Sano considered searching inside there. Of course, if Megumi caught him snooping in her wardrobe, she'd probably scream something along the lines of 'PERVERT!' and smack him into seeing stars.

_Oh well_, thought Sano, tugging open the top drawer. It was full of documents, with nothing but medical information and boring things that didn't concern Megumi's opinion much at all.

Next, Sanosuke dug through the second drawer down, finding it brimmed with skirts and socks. Also, to Sano's utter fascination, underclothes. Slamming the drawer shut with an ashamed blush, Sanosuke resisted the idea of thoroughly searching that section; and he moved down to the last drawer.

_Last chance_, Sanosuke thought, opening it. The drawer was packed with kimono obi and such things that weren't indecent, along with several smocks that Megumi often wore over her kimono. Sano began to lose hope as he sadly dug through the layers of clothing, finding nothing whatsoever.

And then, his fingertip brushed against the rough edge of paper. Jumping with glee, Sanosuke burrowed furiously until his large hands retrieved a small, neat book that had been cleverly hidden beneath the many coatings of kimono accessories.

Licking his lips, Sanosuke seated himself upon the floor. Opening the paperback to the first page, Sano realized with delight that this was Megumi's _diary_. Who knew someone like Megumi would keep such a thing? Leafing through the neatly-written script, Sanosuke found that the first few entries were very old; back from when Megumi was still under Kanryuu's claws. Gulping, he decided not to read that part, since it was not what Sano was after, anyways.

Flipping to the most recent entries, Sanosuke found a rather interesting page.

_I am utterly exasperated with Sanosuke. Despite my attempts to cover my feelings for him by flirting with Sir Ken, he still bothers me and hangs around like a bat. It's getting harder and harder to keep screaming at him angrily, or scowl at him when he has that stupidly big grin on his face. _

Blushing, Sanosuke smiled and traced his lips with his hands; and to his horror he discovered that he indeed had a very large, obnoxious smirk.

_Most people would be shocked to know that I have never slept with anyone. I know I act rather mature around Ken-san, but as I've said, it's only to keep Sano away. The moron boy doesn't understand that I'm not meant to…I just don't want to have to push him away. I don't want to, but I know that it can never work out, no matter how deep my feelings go. After all, he could simply be playing with me. _

With an enraged gasp, Sanosuke's eyes narrowed as he furiously read on, his fingers gripping the edge of the notebook with anxiety.

_I hate it when I let my mind slip off course, when I think about him. When I wrap his hand, I feel him look at me curiously and I resist the urge to look up. Sometimes he'll actually try to put up a decent conversation, but usually it comes into a sensitive topic like Kaoru and Kenshin (supposedly sensitive, anyways; he doesn't know that their relationship doesn't bother me a bit), or it turns into another argument. The boy may be an idiot, but he's not without brains. Even that cop he hates so much can tell that Sanosuke is not stupid. _

_Damn straight_, Sano thought proudly, grinning wide.

_He's also very strong. Sano is protective, too. Sanosuke has even saved my life before, if I count correctly; twice. Despite the roughness of his hands when he fights, I was shocked to find that when he prevented me from being crushed to death by Shikijou of the Oniwaban, Sanosuke has very gentle hands. He picked me up and leapt out of the way, wrapping his arms around my torso. Though gently, I remember Sanosuke… _

"Guh…" Sanosuke jumped, realizing that he had nearly fallen asleep. Shaking his head to clear it, Sanosuke rubbed his nose. _Girls think too much, dammit._ Blinking, he skimmed the pages, flipping anxiously as he tried to find something that would assist him in his buy.

His excitement and pride grew and grew as he read of how much Megumi thought about him. About how much he really _did_ bother her…but in a good way; he figured. Sanosuke relished of how his very presence drove Megumi _crazy_.

Sanosuke had near to completely forgotten about why exactly he was reading Megumi's diary in the first place, when he found it. He _found_ it; by the grace of God, Sanosuke _finally_ found what precisely Megumi wanted more than _anything_ for her birthday. His face heated up, and Sanosuke shifted his weight on the floor nervously. Gulping, his Adam's apple elevated and then settled at its normal location as a bead of sweat snaked down Sanosuke's temple. "I am in _big_ trouble."

-

It was evening time at the Kamiya Dojo, and all the inhabitants were having a tremendous time celebrating Megumi's twenty-third birthday. _Sake_, cuisine courtesy of the Akabeko, and an assortment of foreign candy called chocolate was brought to try at the party. Also, among the foods, was a small tray of attempted rice balls that Kaoru had made. Since no one was bound to eat them, Kenshin—out of the pure sweetness of his heart—seized the box when Kaoru's back was turned and threw them out the window, saving only one. Gathering his nerves, he ate the rice ball with pretend delight and exclaimed to Kaoru of how wonderful they were, much to the raccoon's glee.

_Poor Missy_, Sanosuke thought, chuckling, as he downed his sixteenth cup of sake; priding himself in only being the slightest bit woozy. Cocking his head in the other direction, panic seized him when he saw Megumi sitting with Ayame and Yahiko just a few feet away.

The lady looked up at him, and Sanosuke swiveled around in the other direction, his hands shaking as they clasped the sake bottle tightly. Megumi frowned at his odd behavior, wondering what could have come over the boy to make him act like so. "Hey, Rooster!" she yelled, making Sanosuke freeze. "What's the matter with you?"

In attempt to cover his anxiety, Sanosuke looked over his shoulder and tried to grin convincingly. Instead, he looked rather terrified and panic-stricken, and he laughed shrilly. "N-Nothin', Fox…hahaha!" Losing his nerves completely, he giggled rather shakily.

If he could have _Futae-No-Kiwami_'d himself in the nose at that particular moment, without any suspicion, Sanosuke would have. Everyone in the _Dojo_ was staring at him, fearing for Sanosuke's insanity. And then, dryly, Yahiko spoke up. "Did you put _happy pills_ in your _sake_, or what?"

A bottle went flying and therefore knocked Yahiko unconscious, as Sanosuke glowered in irritation at the brat. "_No_," he growled gruffly, internally relieved to have found his casual voice again.

"Maybe Sano has had too much sake, is that so?" Kenshin spoke up, rubbing rice ball crumbs from his chin and blinking. Sano glowered at Kenshin slightly, wishing he could kill the wanderer, or at least sew his lips shut with his stare. "Then again," Kenshin amended, smiling sweetly as he caught the raging hostility radiating from Sanosuke. "Sano can drink like a fish with a steady step and a clear eye, that he can."

Mumbling a cross agreement, Sano plopped down onto the wooden floor and got himself another cup from the sake jug nearby. Downing the thing in seconds, Sano got bored of trying to drink out of that rudely small cup, and began characteristically chugging down the large flagon with ease.

_Wait a second, moron!_ Angel Sano cried, waving his arms desperately on Sanosuke's right shoulder. _You don't want to be stinkin' drunk when you give Megumi her present! _

_Damn you_, replied Devil Sano, perched casually on Sanosuke's right. _Alcohol before women. Makes things run smoother, right?_

Exasperated, Angel Sano retrieved a broken Zanbatou and therefore killed Devil Sano with one swipe, causing the lip of the sake jug to leave real Sanosuke's mouth. _Stupid!_ yelled Angel Sano, virtually smacking the real Sano upside the head. _STOP DRINKING!_

Suddenly, something in Sanosuke's stomach lurched. His hand flew to his mouth, Sanosuke's eyes opening wide in horror. _Oh no…I'm gonna hurl…!_ Twitching, Sanosuke desperately tried to swallow the puke threatening in his throat, coughing hysterically.

"Ahh!" yelled Kaoru, standing up in horror from her place next to Kenshin. "Sanosuke's choking!"

"Someone, slap his back!" cried Tae.

_NO!_ Sanosuke screamed inside, jumping out of the way as Kenshin tried to assist his 'suffocating' friend. "Sanosuke!" Kenshin yelled, trying to get at the teenager as the boy danced stubbornly away. "Sano, let me help you!"

_Oh Jesus_, Sanosuke thought as his eyes dilated and his motions slowed in a trance-like fashion. _Don't let me… _

**Gulp. **

Sanosuke nearly began to throw up all over again, when he felt the gross substance slide slickly down his throat. He convulsed slightly, opening his eyes just a bit as his vision focused.

"Sano?" Kenshin was there, gripping his friends arm tightly. "Sano, are you okay?"

"Believe it," Sanosuke whispered hoarsely, taking a shuddering breath.

"YOU IDIOT!" came Kaoru's sudden yowl, as Sanosuke got a good bash on the head. "You scared me half to death! What in the world is wrong with you! Gagging like that, not letting Kenshin help you! You could have died!"

_No kidding_, Sanosuke thought dryly. _Of embarrassment, of course_. He sighed as Kaoru ranted on, hardly listening. _But if I had thrown up, I wouldn't be able to…I wouldn't have been able to give her… _Without really worrying of Kaoru's enraged reaction, Sanosuke turned on his heel and walked leisurely away from her shouting. He wandered out of the Dojo, announcing, "Be right back!" and left, into the moonlight of nightfall.

Minutes later, Sanosuke found himself sitting next to the well, washing his mouth and tongue in disgust, scrubbing off the penetrating smell of sake and things not civilly worth mentioning. Making sure it was gone, Sano breathed into his hand and smelled the scent redirected at him in return, relieved to find it pure. Resting his hands on the edge of the well, Sanosuke heaved a relieved sigh. He came so close to ruining everything; if Megumi had seen him throw up, she would _never_ let him—

"Sanosuke? Are you alright?"

Feeling his heart skip a beat, Sanosuke turned to find Megumi looking at him with concern. She hadn't been there long, Sanosuke could tell; but just long enough to see him heave a sigh. "Uh…yeah," Sanosuke said, his coffee orbs darting from side to side. No one was watching. This would be a perfect time to give Megumi her present.

Megumi scowled. "You're such a moron," she growled, putting her hands on her hips in that fashion Sano was all-too-well used to. "Kaoru was right—you could have died back there if you didn't let Kenshin help you. You're lucky you forced it down."

Sanosuke smiled sheepishly, not bothering to instigate an argument. "_Aa_… sorry, Kitsune." Scratching the back of his head characteristically, Sano asked, "Has anyone given you your presents yet?"

"Oh," Megumi replied, looking a little surprised. Her mind revived the memory of Sano insistently questioning her about what she truly wanted, and Megumi's face reddened slightly. "Yes… Sir Ken and Kaoru-chan gave me a comb, and Genzai-sensei and his granddaughters gave me a pair of new sandals. Yahiko, Tae, and Tsubame put their wages together to buy me a tea set with dragons and chrysanthemums."

Sanosuke smirked slightly, putting his hands in his pockets. "Ah. Hope you like those, then."

He blushed, and for a moment Megumi realized he must feel awful; obviously, he hadn't been able to get her anything as a present. After all, Sano had no packages, and he had been empty-handed save for food and sake all day long. Sanosuke had been avoiding Megumi for the entire party; and why else would Sano be so red in the face at this time?

"You don't have to feel bad, Sano," Megumi said, biting her lip._ Why didn't I just lie to him about what I wanted, so that he didn't have to feel guilty? Why did I insist messing with him that time, when he was being considerate?_

To Megumi's confusion, Sano looked surprised. "For what?" he asked.

"W-Well…" Megumi wasn't sure what to say. "I mean…about the gift… it's okay if you couldn't find one…"

Confusing Megumi further, Sanosuke grinned. "Whatcha talkin' about?" he laughed. "I gotcha a gift, Fox."

"Y-You did?" Megumi stammered, perplexed all the more. "I… I don't…"

Smiling, Sanosuke murmured, "The best gifts don't come in boxes and ribbons, Kitsune." Tapping his nose impishly, Sano declared, "I know what you want most for your birthday!"

Her puzzlement melted into amusement. Of course, Sano had to be bluffing. "Is that so?" Megumi laughed slightly, her scarlet lips upturned in a grin.

"Yep," Sano's smile grew wider, as he took a step closer to Megumi. "Do y'want it now?"

_It's probably a joke_, Megumi thought, her amused smirk never wavering. _He has that look in his eye, just like when we're fighting. He's up to something…he's bluffing, because the only way he'd know what I really want is if he read my diary._ "I'm so sure, Rooster-Head," Megumi snickered. "But yes, give me my gift."

"Okay," Sanosuke growled with a rebellious grin, taking Megumi by the waist and pulling her against him, causing the breath to escape Megumi's lungs in a surprised gasp. His arm came around the small of her back, Sanosuke's other hand taking Megumi's jaw and tilting it upwards so that her surprised lips met his.

Sanosuke's knees grew weak as he felt Megumi's warm breath through her mouth, and as his Fox leaned against him for support. Her hands clenched the collar of his jacket, pulling him closer; to Sanosuke's joy. His hands moved slowly, making sure to rub Megumi's tense back muscles as they inched their way down to her waist, taking in the feeling of being closer than ever before to the Fox he adored.

Sanosuke's heart pounded in his ears as he pressed his lips with new, searing force to Megumi's; marking his love on her lips and making sure she'd never forget it. His hands buried themselves in the lush waters of raven locks, crushing Megumi against him in embrace before finally letting her go.

Megumi looked up in utter shock at the heavily breathing gangster, in denial that he had really kissed her like that. Gulping, and trying to regain some of her composure, Megumi tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "S-Sano… how did you…?"

"Um… well, I did a little research." Sano bowed his head in shame, knowing there was no use in lying to her. It wouldn't make things better; she'd find out soon enough, one way or another.

Megumi gasped. "You…read my diary!"

"Urk…" Sanosuke desperately tried to find a way to make the situation seem not so bad, but failed. "I didn't read anything personal…"

"That entire book is _personal_!" Megumi yelped, shaking her finger in Sano's face. "My feelings, my secrets, _everything_!"

Sano's face turned into a painting of solemn hurt. "You'd think I'd tease you about the things that matter most to you, or tell everyone of your deepest feelings? Even if I really knew them?"

Megumi fell silent, scowling. "N-No… but still…"

"I'm sorry," Sanosuke whispered, beginning to feel rather embarrassed. He itched the back of his neck, casting his eyes to the ground. His bottom lip jutted out in dismay, and Sanosuke wrinkled his nose in that familiar way Megumi found utterly heart wrenching to watch.

_He didn't mean any harm_, thought Megumi. She dared to lift a hand to touch his face, and gave Sanosuke a little smile. "It's okay," she whispered. "I'm not mad. And thank you for my birthday present…um, my first kiss."

Sanosuke face flushed in glee, as he leaned his cheek into Megumi's palm and smiled wide. He looked so cute that Megumi laughed, afterwards sending them into a moment of silence. Beautiful, loving silence.

And then: "It's so cute, isn't it, Kenshin!"

Both the Rooster and the Fox froze with horror to the roots of their hair. Megumi's hand flew from Sanosuke's face—nearly slapping him in the process—as she whirled around to find Kenshin, Kaoru, Tae, Yahiko, Doctor Gensai, and Tsubame peeking out at them from the porch.

Sanosuke turned scarlet, clenching his fist with rage as he barked like an enraged Chow-Chow. "Y-You spied on us! You—KENSHIN!"

Of course, Kenshin contracted the blame, and soon found a fiery-eyed Sano towering over him. "_Oro_," Kenshin's eyes grew wide, and everyone fled the scene with shrieks of laughter as Sanosuke attempted to pounce upon the wanderer. With God-like speed, Kenshin followed the rest; escaping the yowling Rooster and the red-faced Fox. When they had undoubtedly fled inside, Sanosuke shot the Dojo one last irritated glower.

And then, tugging his mind from his utter humiliation, he felt cold-tipped fingers settle on his forearm. Sano blinked and looked at the lady doctor, who was holding his wrist and blushing. Their eyes met, and they both looked away with shame. Then, sneaking a look at Sano once more, Megumi asked, "…_should_ we be this embarrassed? I… I mean, unless it was just…you know, Rooster. The whole…thing." She gave him an expression in which Sano couldn't tell whether it was a meek look or a frightened one.

Amused by Megumi's poor attempt at discovering his feelings, Sanosuke chuckled and replied, "Even I, the _poor_, hapless _mooch_ wouldn't be as cruel as t'toy with a woman's feelings like that. I gave you your present, and I meant everything inside of it." Sanosuke blushed, realizing just how sappy he sounded, to himself. "Heh… um, after all, you… did ya like it?" It was Sano's turn to give Megumi a desperate glance, only to find her smiling laughingly as he had been moments before. How quickly things changed.

"I loved your gift," Megumi smiled, and then her unusual sweetness took a dangerous turn: it sprouted fox ears. "In fact," she snickered, splaying her hands on Sanosuke's chest. "I think I want another one. Yes. I want another present, right _now_."

He grinned as Megumi looked up to give Sanosuke a stubborn look. "You're pretty selfish, ya know that?" he teased, but gladly presented her with another gift, bending down to fit his lips against hers, feeling again the soft sweetness that slipped into his mouth. Her lips reminded Sanosuke of some sort of fruit, maybe a soft apple or something with bright, soft skin that shone with dew.

"Happy birthday, Foxy," Sanosuke murmured into the embrace, sighing as they parted.

Sano's dreamy state was slaughtered when he saw the evil glint in Megumi's eyes. He blinked, about to inquire of what was up, when suddenly Megumi seized his collar and demanded, "Again."

_AGAIN?_ Sano sweatdropped as Megumi again pressed her lips to his, seeking his secret of this particular art, exploring his lips and even coming to the idea that maybe even the inside of his mouth should be dominated, too.

_Kami-sama_. Sanosuke thought through the onslaught that made him weak in the knees. _I've created a monster._

But he couldn't help but smile, as he held the Fox-Lady tight; who cares if Megumi was yet another year older? She sure didn't act like it.

_OWARI._

_MadiSano:_ Well. That was a change in attitude, right? LOL,sudden fluff and funnies!This story root was suggested by Animeluver4...thanks so much! So cute! Sano's a sweetie, right? Ha ha...:) This oneshot wasn't meant to be serious, "Oh-my-Gosh-I-Love-You, Marry-Me" SM fluff; it was just a cute waffy thing to make people smile and laugh. After all, what's not cute about Sano going through heck to give Megumi her most desired birthday gift: which happens to be her first kiss? I had to really think about that one before I decided just what Sano might give her.

Anyways, I'll post a short story very soon, and then I'm thinking about writing up a one-shot about Sanosuke being deathly injured and...yeah, SakuraDancer3 knows what I'm talking about! LOL! But I want to take all of the usually marked "cheesy" (as Animeluver4 described them) ideas and make them into something adorable. Also, I want to try new things, too! Requests are always accepted, so feel free to request like crazy!

Love, laughs, and see ya later!


	4. Your Gaze

_Story Four: Your Gaze _

A young girl with burns on her face and hands looked out from a hill overlooking a flaming city, her magenta eyes wide with impending tears. Her left hand clenched in trauma over her little _obi_ as the small girl bit her lower lip with disbelief that her family, friends, and future were burning to a crisp before her very eyes.

Megumi:

_The calm sea on the borderline _

_Of your eyes, wash me away… _

_The tall, proud waves swirl around my feet _

_Stirring shells and memories _

_Of you, my lost one… _

Choking back sobs, a little boy slumped against the metal fence, looking through it with unmasked horror. Reflected in his wide chocolate orbs, is the severed head of a man with sleek black hair and thick eyelashes. Snow steadily cascaded around the boy, the flakes fusing with the hot tears racing down the child's face; causing a clear, bittersweet residue to freeze on his cheeks.

Sanosuke:

_Can't you see _

_The way I look out through my hair _

_To the far sunset? _

_Do you know, of how much I miss you? _

_And your smile? _

With a shudder, a young woman with long, sleek black hair covered her face as tears dance with slender footsteps down her white cheeks. A handsome redhead and a pretty young raven-haired woman looked with sympathy at the crying doctor, as her confessions of her career as a drug-making slave spilt from her scarlet lips with bitter regret and chilling sorrow.

Megumi:

_In attempt to replace the longing, _

_I've hidden, and I'm hiding… _

_And only you can see me now, but you choose to turn _

_How much it hurts _

A young man looked out at the open sea, taking a deep breath of the salty ocean atmosphere. A pack slung over his shoulder, it swayed as the spiky-haired youth turned to look back just once, at the scruffy city behind him.

Sudden regret entered his eyes, and his knuckles turn white as they grip the string of his bag with unusual tightness. Smothering threatening tears with the back of his hand, the man huffed a sigh and turns to walk off towards a nearby ship.

Sanosuke:

_Like the river I am running _

_Waiting for you, the wind, to follow… _

_And yet, you turn; leave me on my own inescapable road _

_The current carries me far too fast. _

With a crash, a cup collided with the tatami floor, and shattered into a thousand shards. A woman looked up with utter shock at the man standing in the doorway, sopping wet from the pouring rain outside. His hair long and unkempt even compared to its old ruffled style, hanging down his back. The marks of an auburn stubble trailed the man's grinning jaw, and bright brown eyes smiled out at the woman as he bid her good evening, for the first time in four years.

Megumi:

_And I wonder _

_Is this truly to be, when I cannot even hold your gaze? _

_Dragonflies dance and fireflies soar, a unity all on their own _

_Tomorrow is just a word to me _

_But it comes true anyways, in hope that you'll just look at me… _

Covering her mouth with her hands, her eyes filled with bitter, blazing liquid that fell down her face in hesitating droplets. Strong hands grasped her back and pulled her against the man, holding her tightly in his warm embrace.

Never before seeing her cry like this, the man whispered softly into her ear, murmuring memories of happiness, inquiring of why she has to cry. The woman sobbed again, burying her hands in the long, thick white cloak about the man's broad shoulders, not bothering to reply with words. Instead, with another whimper, the woman pulled him into a kiss, portraying her heartache and loneliness.

Sanosuke:

_Why speak of sorrow? When you _

_Have me, though I yet to have you… _

_The tears of sorrow, the borderline of the sea _

_Shattered like mirrors, so strong it seemed to be, but no _

_I'm here now; you're alone, because my presence never mattered _

_And yet you come running to me… _

_A nice song, but poorly sang _

_My heart hurts as much as yours, but _

_Why won't you look at me? _

Smiling widely, the man helped the woman as they unsteadily clambered up the slope of the roof, eventually sitting on the eaves beneath the stars and moon. His hand covered hers, and his warm eyes floated to meet hers; shattering the wintry feel of the night.

After a brief meeting of their lips, the man rummaged in his pants' pocket to pull out a small blue box. Hands shaking, a self-conscious grin on his lips; the man's fingers curled about the sachet and pulled it open. The moonlight revealed a silver ring with a small diamond embedded into the band, glimmering like some enchanted thing in the moon's white sunlight. The woman put her fingers to her surprised lips, as the man blushed furiously, the redness of his face shadowed by the shadow the moonlight did not clear.

Megumi:

_My heart is aching, in distress _

_My gaze is burning to your face, but you've yet to feel it _

_Like ice _

_Tomorrow will never come until I finally see your eyes _

_Maybe then, you'll speak and I will hear you _

_In attempt to replace the longing, _

_I've hidden, and I'm hiding… _

_And only you can see me, but you choose to turn _

_How much it hurts _

A small, wild-haired boy scampered across a grassy yard, shrieking with laughter as his father chased him desperately around, attempting to catch the boy. He failed, and the man ended up freeing the other youngster in his opposite arm; the little girl fled in the opposite direction, striking the poor man with panic as he attempted to round up both children at once.

Out of his reach, the siblings met up, laughing hysterically at their father's puzzlement. The fun was spoiled when the sister suddenly socked the young boy in the arm with surprising force, sending the boy howling to his mother, who was sitting on the porch.

Hugging the boy to pacify his snivels, the mother looked up to find her husband standing beside the porch, with the squirming daughter upon his shoulder. Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, the man muttered something, his embarrassed tone turned to a yell when his trapped little girl suddenly and viciously bit his ear.

Yowling at his daughter, the man's face twisted in irritation when the girl paid no attention; and instead shouted right back in his face, shaking her fist menacingly. Looking to the woman for assistance, the father was disappointed when he found her only snickering foxily at the amusing similarity between the man and his daughter. The little boy in her arms sniffled, looking at his father with large, brown-red eyes.

The man sighed, glancing at his impudent daughter, then his bashful son; and then into his wife's laughing eyes.

Megumi and Sanosuke:

_I turn to see the fire in your eyes _

_But instead I find a sort of sadness _

_Was it I who brought this to you? _

_It can't be, _

_So look at me and hold my face _

_And tell me that you can finally see me _

_As I am _

_OWARI._

_MadiSano: _Er...yeah...this is a lot different, ne? I mean, this is in a sense a songfic; and I've heard some nonsense that ff net has banned songfics (WHY?). But then again, technically songfics are those in which you use a disclaimer as permission to use a song that you yourself have not made, right? And I made up the lyrics by myself...ah well, what the heck. :) Lol!

But this oneshot was a lot more serious than some of the others (it depends on which part of the other oneshots you think about), but I really liked Sano's obnoxious little girl. LOL can't you just see him constantly bickering and scolding his daughter, while she yells right back in his face? Megumi in the background, holding the son, and rolling her eyes like: "I'm surrounded by Chicken-Heads..." Lol, I think that's rather cute. Maybe I'll write a fic one day about Sano becoming a daddy... what do you think?

As said before, requests are welcomed and will be answered ASAP (I just had to post this one before my next, because I'm not finished yet!). Please review, and I hope to hear from you all!


	5. I'd Do Anything For You!

_Story Five: I'd Do Anything For You! _

_Warnings: Rated for violence _

**_THOKK. _**

Despite the thick snow upon the ground, claws of iron agony gripped Sanosuke's head as it was viciously slammed into the icy turf. The snow flew aside as his entire body followed, the white powder died red as the blood from his wounds flowed in a sickening fashion.

His head hurt like heck. The insistent throbbing posing behind the screams of his nerves sent shivers up Sano's back as the bitter cold tore at his skin, seeping through his thin clothing. Bruises and bleeding cuts were resting haphazardly like drops of spilt ink across Sanosuke's body, each injury gnawing away at his freezing skin.

Right when Sanosuke began to think that maybe his opponents had conceded victory and left, a terribly well-aimed kick struck him viciously in the side, grazing the reopened wound that Saitou had given to him months ago. Howling, Sanosuke's spine twitched into a defensive position, blood gagging him as his attacker struck him again in the stomach.

"Ughn—" Sanosuke took the relentless beatings, only praying that he might be able to come out alright in the end. Every fiber in his steely muscles cried out as Sano was forced to sit up, rough fingers grasping his hair and compelling the poor boy to sit on his knees. Snickers resounded in his ears, like the cackling of demons.

"Stop…" Sano gasped, squeezing his eyes shut. He couldn't see; his forehead was matted with blood and the slick, wet, scarlet fluid restrained him from opening his eyes. "Stop it… don't… AAAH!"

A thunderous blow to the abdomen met Sanosuke's senses, causing him to cry out as his brain was again assaulted by waves of white, hot anguish. He was sure he heard and felt something crack; Sanosuke was sure he felt something inside of him snap in two, rending the flesh it was usually encased by, but he forgot about it once a flood of his own blood burst from his lips.

A punch caught Sanosuke's left cheek, causing the kid to see white and red flashes before his eyes. As the gangsters grasped Sano's spiky hair with agonizing violence, Sano howled when another _yakuza_ thrust Sano face-first into the ground.

Snickering, growling voices hissed in Sanosuke's ears, mocking him for his weakness. "The _great_ _Kenkaya_ _Zanza_," came a deriding hoot from Sanosuke's left, or was it his right? Sano couldn't tell; and he couldn't care too much at the moment, either.

The words were slurred and distracting in Sano's mind, but he quickly assumed attention when another man's hands—which unnervingly felt like sandpaper—gripped the back of his neck and squeezed the pressure point there with strength that transformed into electrifying pain.

Sanosuke writhed, his own scream deafening him. The man let him go, swearing, and amid the shivers and gasps echoing from Sanosuke's lips, Sano overheard the other thugs snickering.

Sano yelped when someone stomped on his spine; right onto the character of 'wicked,' causing his cry to turn into gasps. Every fiber of his body ached, but his pride and heart hurt worse. "So much for him," snickered a whiny voice nearby.

Sano shivered, cursing himself in his drained thoughts that he had insisted on fighting that jerk in the bar… that man, who offended his pride and soul, trashing the most important person in his life. Shivering again, listening to the same man, his drunken pals, and their footsteps walking away; Sano regretted his boisterous and outspoken attitude in which he had addressed the man with. Why didn't he handle the situation calmly? Like… like _Kenshin_ would? Unusual and unlikely as it normally would be, Sanosuke momentarily envied the wanderer's smooth cunning.

"Uhn…" Sanosuke's breathing quickened slightly, the coppery taste of blood ravaging his tongue as he attempted to swallow. _Why did that…? Why did they have to be that strong? When I was fighting for her…?_

Not that it really mattered anymore. Sanosuke didn't want to move, cry for help, or anything of the sort that required the movement of any part of him. Shuddering, Sanosuke watched with sick fascination as his blood snaked out through the feathery snow.

His right hand twitched. Sanosuke's dim eyes glided up to peer at it, wondering if his hand had caught frostbite and was dying, dying just like he was. The bloodstained bandages hung off his hand like a scarlet layer of stretched skin; lying limply in the snow.

The snowflakes swirled down like the kisses of angels, brushing every surface of everything, whirling and churning and swooping and diving; but the feathery caress of the snow turned to the fires of misery when they dissolved into Sanosuke's broken skin. He shivered, squeezing his eyes shut and wondering exactly when this torment was to stop.

To make it go away…what, what could end this? Sano inhaled slowly, his shuddering breath rushing past his lips and melting the snow around them. Shuddering, he wondered that if…maybe, if he could move; if he could get someplace warm and waterless, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much…

But to where? He had followed that freak, that giant man and his pals halfway across Tokyo until Sano had dared to reveal himself; all the way into the nice little neighborhoods over near the Kamiya Dojo. But no, Kaoru's place was too far…a mile at least. So…where to? Sano's head spun, and his fingers flexed uncertainly; his bones aching with the cold. An animal-like will to survive pestered Sano's brain; urging him to fight for his life tooth and nail; or at the very least, find someplace drier and a bit more comfortable than this so he could die without as much ache…

Luckily, thank _Kami_, Sano was born a fighter. Dying alone, in the snow, and not in battle was not an option for Sagara Sanosuke of the Sekihoutai. "Sagara-_Taichou_…" he meant to groan, as Sanosuke forced his muscles and bones to cooperate, getting onto his hands and knees.

But instead, instead it was not Sagara Souzou's name that gave him the will; it was someone else's. The pure realization that he had unconsciously spoken the name nearly caused Sano to fall to the snow again. "_Megumi_."

Sano took in a shuddering breath, still on his hands and knees. He couldn't move just yet, no; his arms would give way. The possible fall loomed like a poising serpent in Sano's mind; he felt that if he dropped to the earth, the sheer fall would kill him. But he couldn't die...he just _couldn't_. Sure, he was bleeding to death, lying in the middle of a rare Tokyo blizzard that worsened by the minute; not to mention Sano suspected more than one broken rib, which would explain his hurling of blood.

The simple thought of it caused Sano to retch scarlet into the snow, sending spirals of dizzy pain dancing up his veins. "Megumi…" he groaned again, the cry finally registering in his mind. _Megumi… _he blinked, blood weighing down his eyelashes. The beautiful, smart, coy doctor that Sano loved to pester, loved to bicker, and loved to…love? It was for _her_ Sano couldn't let himself die. Not yet.

Sano gasped as the hurt came anew in his body, but his mind resolutely stuck to the Fox Lady. She had once declared her ability to heal anything, anything at all; unless her patient came to her with a case of lovesickness. _My luck_, Sano thought, taking a shaky half-crawl towards the direction of the Clinic, _is running out._

No one was outside, of course. It was snowing like someone in Heaven had spilt a rather large container of sugar upon the town of Tokyo, the sweet contents burying the earth in milky layers. Sano was all alone; even if he received the strength to cry out, no one would hear him except the mute snowflakes.

"Megumi…" Sano whispered again, dragging himself stubbornly down the frosted road. He couldn't avoid the drifts forming; the thick, wave-like drifts that Sanosuke had to conquer, leaving a trail of red in his path.

"Megu…" Sano's prayer was cut off as his elbows trembled and gave way; causing him to fall face-first into the deep snow. It was suffocating, and Sanosuke desperately tried to free himself from the icy bounds.

He managed, by some Heavenly hand. Tears came in throws down Sano's face, his stamina weeping along with him as the snow ground against his aching blue skin, like grains of rough sand…

Sanosuke couldn't stand crawling anymore; whether or not it saved him strength, Sano didn't give a care anymore because it darn well _hurt_ too much. Grasping the uneven bricks of a nearby wall, Sano gasped as he forced himself with what power he had to stand. His knees ached; every inch of Sagara Sanosuke was bruised and battered like a child's training sword.

He blindly felt his way down the wall, making it a good twenty feet in roughly fifteen minutes. Sano's worn-out, black shoes trudged through the snow, slowly and carefully so not to trip.

It was for her that Sano had risked this. _It was for her_, he thought, gritting his teeth as Sano opened his eyes to see of where he was. The _Oguni_ Clinic was within sight; if Sano could _just_ cross the street…

"Uhmph!" Sano fell flat on his face, causing bolts of paralyzing misery to gnaw through his body, like starving wolves through the meat of a caribou. His skinny form racked with shivers, and Sano squished his hazy chocolate eyes shut. "Nn…mmn…" Sano's tears streamed down his blue face, the warmth making him ache and whimper all the more; this was hard…

He gulped, resuming the crawling tactic. Praying he would make it, Sano took deep, gasping breaths of the wintry air as he crept across the snowy path. White smoke billowed from his burning throat as Sano struggled through the snow; feeling utterly pride-less and worthless; empty and cold as he finally reached the long-awaited Clinic…

Sano collapsed on the porch; free of snow and free of the biting wind. The veranda was clean, dry, and a small overhang above prevented more snow of assaulting Sano's cowering self. He took a deep breath, unable to yell. Sano wanted to sleep now, but he knew if he did he would never wake up.

"Megumi…" Sano sobbed, unable to do anything else but wait.

-

Megumi smiled tiredly as she finally finished the documents of the day; files and such boring crap that Megumi only cared about because she cared about her patients. Securely putting away the file, Megumi yawned.

_The Rooster-Head didn't come for his checkup today_, came a random thought, causing Megumi to frown with puzzlement. _He's_ _usually late, but never misses a date._ Bushing, Megumi nearly smacked herself for calling it that. _An appointment, I mean—he never misses an appointment. Kami, Megumi; you need to stop that…_

Rubbing her left cheek as though to slay the scarlet flush there; Megumi sighed, and leaned back in her stool. Closing her eyes, Megumi sighed again and simply sat there, enjoying the silence; free of squealing Ayames or shouting Suzumes, or giggling Doctor Gensais.

Then, she heard her name. Softly, it came; just outside the door. It wasn't loud enough to awake neither a sleeping baby, nor anything else quite easy to rouse; but having the beautiful silence and the hearing of a fox, Megumi heard the cry.

Getting up rather nervously, Megumi stepped to the door in her cotton socks. Perplexed, she braced herself against the cold as she curiously opened the Oguni Clinic door.

It took all of her willpower not to scream.

-

When Sano opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was this: he was warm. _Unbearably_ warm—his skin was on _fire_. Gasping, Sano squeezed his eyes shut with a tremor; feeling hot, sticky sweat clinging to his body like the webs of a spider.

"_Megumi_…" he moaned into the darkness behind the lids of his eyes, and somewhere in the void outside them, Sano heard something move. The swish of clothing, and the soft wind of feathery hair rushed over Sano's senses as she came near; the smell of serene, yet simple lavender assailing his nose.

Megumi's long fingers gently took hold of his burning face, keeping him as still as can be as she wiped away the bitter sting of Sano's temperature with a wet cloth. The water was not cold, and it wasn't warm; but it soothed Sanosuke's flaming skin anyhow. Shifting slightly, Sano realized that his left hand was immersed in warm water next to the futon, in a bowl.

He blinked, his vision sharpening by the moment, until he could see decently. Blinking again, Sano looked up into the grim face of Takani Megumi, the Foxy Lady he loved to tease. Gulping, his scatterbrained thoughts grouping together as he took hold of the situation. _She's never held me like this before…_Sano thought, swallowing. His throat was so dry… _Never so gently, like I might break into pieces… she's never looked so concerned about me._

"How are you feeling?" came Megumi's soft, sleek voice.

"Like I've died, gone to Hell, came back again, and gotten stepped on by an elephant." That was what Sano WOULD have said, had he not truly felt just as described above; so instead, Sano shortened his explanation by whispering hoarsely, "Like Hell."

Megumi nodded, sliding the cloth down Sano's neck with caring precision. "It's to be expected," she whispered. "Can you move your left hand?"

Wanting to please the doctor, Sano attempted to flex his fingers. A dull ache suckled them with prickling fangs, ceasing Sano's movement altogether. "Yeah…" he murmured.

"Whenever you can, try to move them," advised Megumi, dabbing Sano's face with the damp towel once more. Sano licked his lips, waiting for Megumi to speak again. "After a while, once you've exercised your fingers….they're frostbitten… I can give you a drink."

Sano's parched mouth threatened to beg aloud for a beverage, but his chapped lips were too busy panting for breath. Megumi sighed, looking down at the injured fighter. He was still perspiring like crazy; his bronze skin dotted with beads of sweat. His temperature had risen at a frightening rate not too long ago; Megumi had removed Sano's bandanna, jacket, chest, ankle, and wrist wraps, and of course his shoes.

Giving the poor boy another look, Megumi crouched down near to him and gave in to his begging stare. She filled a small cup of water, allowing Sano to down it with the help of Megumi's hands. It wasn't enough to satisfy him, but it wet his throat enough so he could speak. "What happened, may I ask?" Megumi whispered. "Not many can do this number on you…"

Sano would have smiled, had he not been so tired; for the Fox had just paid him a compliment of sorts. "Some guys were dissin' ya…" he croaked softly, giving Megumi a sentimental look he rarely gave anyone at all. "…tried t'beat him, but…ambush…"

Megumi looked down at Sano with a sort of flattered horror. It was because of her that Sano went through this? "What?" she couldn't help but mutter. _This can't be! _

"They said…" Sano continued stubbornly, unwilling to fabricate. "…you were a witch, and all… used evil arts t'heal people… that you were a woman and women can't be… real doctors, and then they said… stuff about your body…" He wouldn't tell Megumi of the obscenities the drunks had snickered, but it was in truth those words that had really inflamed Sano's anger. She was _his_ fox to ogle, and not theirs.

"Sano, shh." Megumi sighed, giving him another sip of water. He attempted to drink the whole glass, eagerly downing it and attempting to reclaim the cup when Megumi tried to pull away. She ignored Sano's protests and set the cup aside. "People often spread rumors about me and my career, Sano… it's nothing new. You really didn't have to go through all of that…"

Megumi was surprised to find the hurt look upon Sanosuke's face when she met his eyes. "But, Fox…" he whispered, gulping. "I'd do anything for you."

_He _what Megumi stared open-mouthed in shock, in disbelief that Sagara Sanosuke had just said that to her. Sano looked back with just as much surprise, absolutely mortified that he had actually told the doctor such a thing.

If his fever had not already flushed his face, Sano would have turned utter scarlet. "Uh…" _Let me pass out_, he begged inside, the ache of his muscles considering the option. _Let me pass out! Please_!

But he didn't. He continued staring up at the astonished Fox Lady, like he had been turned to stone. Megumi gazed back in a similar fashion, until she broke the pause by turning about to look away, murmuring if Sano could move his fingers.

He flexed them again, finding they did not hurt as badly as before. The rest of him, he could tell, was bandaged up and sweating like heck; but to Sanosuke's sudden pleasure, he found that his pain was steadily lessening.

"Yeah," Sano murmured, blinking. "It's…not as bad."

Megumi's heart was hammering, so loudly she was sure Sano could hear it as well, despite his oblivious expression. She gulped, finding her voice once more and wiping a patch of clammy skin near Sano's collar bone, making him shiver. "Good," she said, "keep moving them, or else."

Sano silently agreed. He did not feel like arguing; simply doing as he was told was a lot easier and less painful than bickering about being ordered around. He was still quite embarrassed, but hurt that Megumi did not appreciate what he went through to get to her, and to defend her honor.

Megumi noticed his unnatural silence; even as a wounded man, Sano was always a rowdy one. She looked up, catching the fleeting look of distress glide across Sanosuke's face; and it hit her like a slap across the face: he _had_ meant what he said. No lie, for sure; Sano had earnestly admitted he would go through anything for Megumi.

"Sano…" Something inside Megumi—she couldn't exactly explain what—compelled her to speak. The boy snapped to attention, or at least, to an extent through the distracting injuries everyplace on his body. Megumi sighed, feeling rather guilty. "I'm sorry… th… thank you. I appreciate your concern."

He knew she tried, but Sano couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that Megumi addressed him with such a standoffish apology and thanks. 'I appreciate your concern' wasn't really the 'Thank you for risking your life for me, and throwing your honor away for my reputation,' Sano had wanted.

Heaving a tired puff of breath, Sano closed his eyes without reply. Megumi immediately panicked, flustered. _What have I done wrong_? she wondered frantically, blinking at Sano's unresponsive face._ Why doesn't he just smile and make some comment? Is he upset with me?_

"Sanosuke," she whispered, causing the man to reopen his chocolaty orbs with only slight annoyance. "Sano, I'm sorry…" _What am I apologizing for, dimwit? _

He didn't look the slightest bit phased. Instead, with a bitter twist of his lips, he muttered, "I am, too." And he closed his eyes.

"Sano!" Megumi nearly cried, causing the man to start. Sanosuke opened his eyes for the second time, in confusion. "What do you want me to say, then! Stop ignoring me and being such an idiot, it's not going to help!"

Gazing up with fascination of just how close Megumi leaned towards his face, though it was in anger; Sanosuke found his breathing had sped up a bit. "I want…" _You._ "I want, um…" _You._ "Er…" _Your heart, mind, soul—I want you, Takani Megumi._

Instead, Sano whispered in reply, "I want you to promise me the same thing…"

All moisture left Megumi's throat as she looked down at her ashamed patient, who had averted his gaze. Sano openly declared, honestly, from the lips of his heart he had told her he would to anything for her…could she return the honesty? Did she really feel the same way, or were Megumi's constant thoughts about him only of worry and annoyance?

"I… I don't know, Sano." The utter shame and hurt that crossed the teenager's face was enough to break Megumi's own heart, as well. She continued, her hands shaking, "I don't know if I can say that to you."

"Mm." Sanosuke's eyes went back into their dead, emotionless state. He didn't want to look at her. He didn't want to see her, hear her, or recognize the fact that all that Sagara Sanosuke had done for Takani Megumi was for nothing, for she didn't care a bit. He had held his heart out to her in the only way he knew how, and thus in the doctor's gentle hands, she had snapped it in two.

_Why does it hurt so much to tell him this?_ Megumi thought, panicking inside. _Why—why does it feel wrong, when moments ago it seemed so frightening to say yes…? Sano's a brawling mooch, and I am a doctor! How can I swear myself to him? There's no way we could work it out!_

_But you _do_ love him_, came a defiant voice. _You love and care about Sano like you do yourself, and maybe even more. Admit it, Megumi—it'll only hurt you more when you come to realize it later, and find that Sano is no longer around or willing to listen to you. _

"Sanosuke…" Megumi gasped, her voice shaking. "I… I don't know what to say… I… I want to tell you…"

Sano snapped his confused, hurt gaze towards her. "Uh?"

"I want to tell you that I would do anything to make you happy," Megumi said, her voice box threatening to rebel. Tears of fear and self-hatred welled up in her eyes, and Megumi found herself clutching at his blankets. "I would, Sano… but I'm afraid it'll be a lie, if I can't… I'd _never_ be able to make Sanosuke happy like he makes me happy."

A strong right hand that smelled of cotton and blood floated up to cup Megumi's wet left cheek. Megumi protested the gesture when she heard Sano utter a soft groan of discomfort, since his muscles and bones ground together still like sand and stone. Sano was unwilling to remove his arm, caressing her face with his thumb as delicately as he could through his pestered concentration.

"Megumi _always_ makes Sanosuke happy," he murmured in return, "except when _she_ is not happy, because then Sano is sad, too. Because Sano would do _anything_ for Megumi; he'd do _anything_ to make her happy."

With a soft sob, Megumi couldn't help but cry. "But you went through…snow, and beatings, and…and…the wind, the fever, and frostbite…broken bones…"

Sano smiled. "They don't hurt as bad when Sano's Fox Lady smiles at him, when she's happy."

"I'm sorry," Megumi sniffled, trying to cease her tears. They slowed a bit, to her relief. It was such warmth that stepped inside her soul when Sano smiled so cheerfully, when she knew he was really aching all over. To know her happiness did really matter to Sano.

He looked at her with such a sweet sense of worry Megumi couldn't help but smile and laugh shakily. "I'll make it work," he said softly. "Megumi… you know I won't leave ya hangin'… I promise I'll get a job, and quit…" Making a slightly unwilling face, Sano continued, "I'll quit gambling, and I'll do whatever as long as I can stay with you… only if you want to, of course…"

Megumi snatched up the opportunity with a soft chuckle. "Will you give up _sake_, too? And fighting?"

Sano's jaw dropped with horror, unable to conjure words for several moments. His lips twitched and moved with excessive trauma, unsure of how to reply to this awful imposition. At last, Sano muttered, "You're too damn sly, woman."

She laughed at his touchiness, and Sanosuke's bittersweet expression, that quickly turned to a smile at the sight of Megumi's cheer. "If that is the case," Megumi said, brushing some of Sanosuke's bangs out of his eyes with a feathery caress. He squeezed eyes shut, making a noise like to a purr. Snickering, Megumi continued, "I would gladly do anything to make Sano happy."

"……Sano'll be happy as long as the Fox doesn't stop petting his face."

Laughing again, Megumi felt a surge of determination as she bent over to kiss the purring Rooster on the cheek. She made sure to steer clear of any cuts or bruises, pressing her lips momentarily to an unscathed patch of browned skin. Megumi heard Sanosuke's breath catch in his throat, both in delight and slight pain.

She blinked in amusement at Sanosuke's devilish expression, when Megumi pulled away. Tugging lightly on the sleeve of her kimono, Sano gestured to his lips. "You missed," he explained with a wide grin, despite the twinge of muscles.

"Oops," Megumi smiled foxily. "It's just too bad for you that your mouth smells like dried blood; and probably tastes like it, too."

His face clouding in a rather disappointed and exasperation expression, Sano replied with the tactic he knew best: complaining. His aching condition helped the matter; when in pain Sano found it easier to whine without shame. "_So_? You said you'd do _anything_ for me, Fox," he hissed, pulling urgently on Megumi's sleeve like a little boy.

Face lit with demonic pleasure, Megumi shook her head. "No way! I'd rather kiss a _Rooster_, Sanosuke!" she cackled.

"But I…I…" He scowled. No way in heck was he going to admit that he was a Rooster, so that Megumi would kiss him. That'd destroy all his morals, not to mention that he'd never hear the end of it: of how Sanosuke admitted that he was a Rooster.

"Besides," Megumi continued, her grin growing eviler by the second. "I have to continue your treatment…in fact, you know; with your fever it's not good to near anything that'll build up extra heat in your body. Do you know what that means?"

Sano shook his head, unnerved. Megumi leaned over again so that her smirking face was very near to his. "It means, my _Koukou-chan_," Megumi purred deviously, "that I have to take the rest of your _clothes_ off."

A dawning comprehension lit Sano's expression, a mixture of utter fear and complete enthrallment slapping itself on his features. "Uh…okay, why don't we… wait a minute—I am not a _little baby chicken_!" Infuriation replaced shock and excitement, as the realization hit that Megumi had called him such a thing.

Outraged as Megumi began to laugh in her peculiar way ("Ohohoho!"), Sanosuke grumbled crossly, until he felt Megumi sliding his blankets down his chest, and fiddling with the bow of his pants. "HEY! You were serious!" he gasped, feeling blood threaten to rise in his throat as he shouted. Luckily, he didn't cough it up.

"Of course!" Megumi said, slipping off the tie."Now, be quiet. Shouting will worsen your state."

"Fox, wait a minute! You can't…um…."

"……"

"………?"

"I'll do anything for you, Sanosuke…you know that, right?"

"Oh, _now_ it's easy to say…"

_OWARI. _

_MadiSano: _Hi again! If you're wondering what in the world instigated me to write such detailed Sano-Torture, I am very agitated with the Rooster and needed to realease my anger somehow. LOL:) Won't tell ya why, since the rage is passing on anyways...no more fics so evil, right? Heh, I liked the ending, though. As to Megumi's nickname of "Koukou-chan" or "Little Baby Chicken," that's actually my fond little nickname I use for Sano because I'm downright obsessed, even in the midst of outrage. Lol! This fics idea was suggested by SakuraDancer3, but don't blame her for the excessive Sano-Torture. That was me.

Requests will be considered and answered eventually...next I am writing a AU oneshot of Sano moving in next door to Megumi! And also, Sano's big ol' Chow Chow Notaro, too. Couldn't leave him out...poor Megumi! LOL! Until then!


	6. His Pride and Soul

_Story Six: His Pride and Soul _

Sanosuke's hands were slick with sweat, like the dew on the morning grass. They shook, the tremors leaping up his arms and jiggling his shoulders, which were hunched up near his neck as Sano crouched against the clinic wall. His breathing was quick and frightened; nervous and worried like the fighter had never before.

Gulping, as he heard approaching footsteps, Sano anxious chocolate orbs flickered up to peer uneasily at the gray-haired doctor standing next to him. The doctor looked down gently at the shaking man, while Sanosuke gaped back at him like a frozen owl. The doctor's hands smelled of blood. A shiver ran up Sano's spine—blood? _Blood_? Why did—_blood_? What did blood have to do with this?

"Gensai-_sensei_?" Sano whispered in such a small, trembling voice, so tiny that it was nearly unbelievable that it had issued from Sanosuke's throat.

Doctor Gensai smiled tiredly at the boy's trauma, and immediately Sanosuke leapt to his feet and nearly tackled the old man with fret. "What happened? Is she okay? What's wrong with Megumi? Why—why do you…? I mean—did something go wrong?"

"Sanosuke-_san_," Doctor Gensai gently pushed the hysterical fighter off of him, chuckling slightly. The man was in such a fluster that suddenly seemed so simple and obvious of why Sanosuke should be dubbed a Rooster—though, he rather worried like a hen. "Calm down. Nothing is wrong with Megumi; everything is fine. She's waiting for you."

Sano's wide, staring eyes were glued to the doctor's worn face, attempting to comprehend Gensai-_sensei's_ words. "Y…ya mean…?"

"You can go and see her," Gensai chuckled, amused by the boy's utter distress and worry. The expression truly did not suit Sanosuke, not one bit. "Right now."

Doubting Sano's legs would move on their own, Doctor Gensai took the latter's shoulder and guided him down the hall. It seemed like the walk to death row for Sanosuke; the small patter of his feet echoed like execution drums in his ears; could he do this? Could he survive? It was his fault this all happened, anyways. Without him, this would have never happened—

But they reached the door. They reached Megumi's door. Sanosuke swallowed loudly, glancing at Doctor Gensai for reassurance. The old man rolled his eyes and nudged Sano's shoulder, making the other feel a little silly as he shyly pushed open the door.

His hands shook like earthquakes were devouring them, so Sanosuke shoved them both into his pockets as he shouldered his way silently through the curtains. He almost considered squeezing his eyes shut; the room smelled a bit of blood and fluids… normally it would not bother Sano, but this case was an extreme exception.

Sanosuke took a deep breath as he looked over to the surgery bed, his hands clutching the insides of his pockets so tightly that his fingernails nipped crescent-shaped wounds into his palm.

Megumi lay there, watching him with a sort of tired amusement. Her usually orderly hair was frayed and ruffled, her eyes half-closed with delight and exhaustion; and Megumi's pale, unpainted lips were upturned in the fond grin Sanosuke loved. Despite her informal appearance, Sanosuke paid no mind—heck, he looked like that all the time.

And in her arms…in her arms—Sano felt a chill skate up his back—a little shifting bunch of warm blankets was snuggled against Megumi's shoulder. Sano looked up at Megumi with a sort of fascination, unsure if he should speak or not.

"Are you scared?" Megumi laughed, causing Sanosuke to flush red to the roots of his hair. "Get over here. It's not going to bite you."

_It might_, Sano though anxiously, later feeling a little ridiculous as his feet carried him over to Megumi's bedside. Megumi's long fingertips brushed away the cloth to reveal…well, the most beautiful thing Sanosuke could have ever imagined.

The soft curves of the child's cheeks were round and flawless, the flushed ivory skin that was obviously inherited from Megumi icing the baby's features with a childlike elegance. Thick lashes covered the little one's closed eyes, dark as the night; and its wee little nose protruded from its face with a cute pride. Brightening black hair covered its little head in thick locks, though Sano wondered if by the weird tint of the fuzz, if it might turn brown. The rest of the baby's form was wrapped in peach cloth, shielding the beautiful child from the new world's cold.

Sano felt his breathing quicken—surely, it had not been _he_ who had made this baby… this child, this—this _miracle_. Simply seeing this creature enthused Sanosuke, as he wondered if there really might be someone out there, someone who really did create the Heavens and the Earth so delicately and with such precision. After all, this child so wonderful couldn't possibly have been made by only he and Megumi. Something bigger…there had to be more to it than this. It was just too unreal and lovely to comprehend; thus Sanosuke found that all he could do was stare.

"What do you think?" Megumi chuckled, perpetually pleased with Sano's awe.

Finding his voice, Sanosuke uttered softly, stepping closer, "Beautiful…" He looked so frightened and mesmerized, overjoyed and seemingly ready to burst into tears—or maybe even pass out.

"This is your daughter, Sagara Sanosuke," Megumi whispered softly, smiling brightly as she stroked the little girl's hair lovingly.

Sano gaped some more; it was really all he could do. He had a baby girl? A daughter? Sagara Sanosuke was a _father_? In all his years, he had never supposed he might be blessed like this. Like this, with such a faithful wife and a beautiful daughter… _Kenkaya_ Zanza was truly gone forever; he had no place in such happy lives as the Sagara Family. Sanosuke was happy as can be, just like this.

Blushing, Sanosuke wiped the smoldering tears perched upon the lids of his eyes with the back of his hand. Gulping, Sano couldn't prevent a little sniffle from escaping; but at the moment it seemed unimportant. He was happy, so what if he cried?

A warm hand covered his own as Sanosuke knelt down on the floor, beside Megumi's bed. Megumi's free hand stroked Sano's face, wiping away the remains of his tears with her thumb. She smiled at her husband, reminding him, "I love you."

"I love you, too…" Sano mumbled back, blinking nervously. What was he supposed to do now? Hold the little girl? Kiss Megumi? Cry like a little boy with a scraped knee? Faint? _What_?

"What do you want to name her?" Megumi asked, smiling still.

Sano quieted, unsure of how to reply. So many names, all of them undeserving of this tiny miracle that someone out there had so graciously given him. He wanted something beautiful, something—some name that could be spoken with utter love, some name that could do some form of justice to the complete splendor of Sano's baby.

And then, she opened her eyes. Sano's baby opened her eyes. Not very wide, but the child peered out in her fathers general direction with a sort of fuzzy curiosity. The expression was so familiar; Sano almost laughed—it was his exact expression, on those disgusting mornings when he awoke from an awful night of drinking. Had his baby been born with a hangover? Sano smiled wide, scooting nearer to the fascinating one.

Then, she gave him—Sano's eyes widened in surprise—a sort of glare. Yes. She positively _glowered_ at her daddy, as if to say, "What took you so long, knucklehead?" Sano chuckled, and Megumi snickered as their baby growled at the both of them in an obnoxious manner, which evidently drained all of the baby's energy; because she fell asleep moments after.

"Seiko," Sanosuke murmured happily.

"Child of spirit," Megumi sighed the meaning of the name, again lifting her empty hand to run her hand through her husband's wild hair. He hummed softly, watching Sagara Seiko sleep with contentment.

"She's so perfect." Sanosuke couldn't help but continue his remarks about his Seiko; completely fascinated with this new creation; for it hit him like a lovely, warm wave of balmy water… he had a family. Sanosuke really had a family again, one who loved him and cared for him like no one else.

Megumi laughed. "You just wait until she starts crying. Seiko-_chan_ may have inherited some of my facial traits, but she's got your lungs. She is _loud_. Not to mention she's just as violent."

Grinning wide, Sano replied, "I won't care too much."

"You will when she starts talking," Megumi snickered, rolling her eyes.

Blinking curiously, Sanosuke asked, "How long until that happens?" What _kind of voice will she have?_ Sanosuke wondered. _Will it be regal like Megumi's? Will she talk like me? Will she have a husky and rude tone? I don't know what I'll do if Seiko has the voice of a mouse. _

"Seiko-chan will be speaking around a year of age," Megumi explained smugly, proudly. A dangerous flicker came into her magenta eyes as Megumi smirked slyly at her husband, who cowered under the calculating gaze. "Of course, by then I shall have you properly trained on how to feed her, burp her, do laundry and dishes, and of course of how to change her diapers."

Sanosuke didn't reply; instead he smiled as if to say, "You wouldn't dare." However, he knew very well that Megumi would try—and Sano knew he would have to do his best to help. It was his job, wasn't it? To uphold his house?

"Sagara Seiko," Sano sighed again, resting his chin on his folded arms with satisfaction. His wife continued to stroke his face, and for many minutes the three Sagaras simply sat together in silence. Such a strange and new unity existed between them.

Looking at Sagara Megumi, Sanosuke awkwardly inquired, "Will I wake her up if I…?"

"Go ahead," Megumi whispered, removing her fingers from Sano's hair. He stretched forwards to gently, nervously pick up his daughter; anxiously standing up with Seiko in his arms. As Sano held his baby for the first time, all his emotions clashed again; and for a second he thought he was going to pass out.

But he didn't. Instead, he found himself kissing Seiko's little forehead, and whispering softly into her ear, "Your daddy loves you, Seiko-_chan_. You are his pride and soul."

Sagara Seiko sniffled, grumbling and turning her face to her father, burying her tiny nose into his chest. It was so brief that Sano wasn't sure if he had really seen her do it, but Sanosuke was nearly positive that she smiled.

_OWARI_

_MadiSano: _What's this? I lied? Yeah, I know...bleah. LOL! I was actually supposed to post the AU fic about Sano moving in next door to Megumi this time, but I'm having a bit of trouble with the details. Besides, I felt I was keeping you waiting for way too long! So I decided to post my Sano-Daddy fic for you. I know it's nothing special, but I thought it was sweet. And if you are wondering when I will reply to your request, fear not! I have a list of them going on, and I promise I will write every single one of them. (dramatic music)

Well, this is it. Sorry it was a bit short, but I didn't want it to go on and on forever with only little happy things occuring, you know?Lol. I remind you to review (please!), and if you have an idea, I'd be glad to write it. Let my list grow! Ja!


	7. Good Boy!

_Story Seven: Good Boy!_

_(This is an alternate universe, aka AU fic, and contains some Enishi OOC)_

"Uh…yes, I… understand. Yes. No, no…I'm fine. Goodbye."

Takani Megumi hung up the phone in shock. Moments later, she collapsed into her nearby couch; holding her face in shock, magenta eyes wide.

Megumi lived along the neat neighborhood of Tokyo, where yakuza rarely if ever visited. The lawns green, the buildings clean, and the polite air of things… Her little apartment was perfect for her, Megumi who was studying so diligently to become a physician.

She had many friends, despite her hard work; Kaoru, Misao, and even Tsubame, Kaoru's little sister. Kaoru's sheepish boyfriend Kenshin also placed himself in Megumi's heart; she used to regard him jealously and specially among the other boys… but they weren't meant to be, and Kenshin fell for Kaoru instead. It had hurt—quite a lot, in fact; but Megumi kept strong and eventually moved on.

And Megumi met a man, a man named Yukishiro Enishi. Despite his unusual protectiveness, Megumi found him quite intriguing; in a way she had not even felt with Kenshin. Friendship and awkward moments bloomed into a relationship Megumi found wonderfully reliable, and undemanding.

Enishi was a Kung Fu artist; the owner of his own fitness school which taught martial arts in order to keep 'peace of mind and peace of body,' which made Megumi imagine Enishi dressed up as a monk, lecturing students who wished to be religious. However, Enishi also had this peculiar obsession with mechanics and explosives; harmlessly handled, but imagine the look on poor Kenshin's face when he opened up the trunk of Enishi's Hummer to find a few random brands of firecrackers bigger than the man's head and mob of thick red hair put together.

How they fell together, Megumi later on couldn't quite figure out. There were so different, and yet Megumi couldn't help but leech onto Enishi. He was the only one there, the only one she had. Megumi couldn't stand being alone.

But Megumi supposed Enishi was happy with their relationship; he never complained, scolded Megumi, or anything of the sort—when they disagreed, Enishi would listen and reply with an almost freakish decency and lack of heat. Nevertheless, Megumi appreciated Enishi's sense of respect; he didn't bug her for intimacy, or whine about how Megumi slaved over her homework instead of him. No; Enishi gave Megumi the space she required, unlike any man Megumi had met before. In fact, they didn't even live together. Enishi seemed to favor space, and disliked the idea of living in the same house as the doctor. Megumi denied the fact; Enishi was simply away most of the time… though oddly enough, the man spent more time watering his lawn than with her.

And then, three months into the relationship; the phone rang. Megumi had picked it up, gleeful to find Enishi's cell phone number blinking on the screen. Greeting him as usual, they engaged in the normal conversation they typically had. Enishi said he was at the JR train station, on his way home.

But then, Enishi said the most peculiar thing. "Megumi-san," he had said, "how far, exactly, do you plan for our relationship to go?"

Frozen, Megumi paused a moment, before forcing her jaw to work. "I—I would think that maybe, um…." She had no idea of how to reply. "Well, however long we found it possible to work it out, Enishi…_san_." She suddenly realized just how standoffish they addressed one another. Enishi-_san_ and Megumi-_san_…

"Mm." Pausing shortly, Enishi said, "I've had a wonderful time with you, Megumi-san. You're much more mature than most women, and I find that your hardworking stamina is most attractive."

Megumi stared into to the far wall, into its peachy whiteness with horror as Enishi continued. The man sounded completely undeterred by the silence on the other end of the phone, and continued speaking with a sort of drawl. With irritation, Megumi suddenly realized that Enishi had _always_ owned that smug drawl. Why hadn't she noticed it before?

"But I think," Enishi continued, "we're not quite _compatible_. After all, Megumi-_san_, our schedules clash and our lives don't seem too keen on melding together. You're always so busy _studying_, you know; and I never get to see you anymore."

"Uh…yes, I…understand," Megumi had stammered. This couldn't be happening. _She_ was always away? _Megumi_? _Enishi_ was the one who was off teaching his Kung-Fooy-Nooie or whatever, pushing _Megumi_ away by saying he was too busy for her.

"_Really_?" Enishi asked, as though he enjoyed torturing her.

"Yes…"

"Are you sure? You don't sound like it, Megumi-san. You sound nearly _angry_."

Megumi nearly felt like yelling obscenities into the phone. It hit her like a flying frying pan of just how…suddenly, just how infuriating Enishi _really_ was! What had caused her to 'love' this man? "No, no…I'm fine."

"All right, then. As long as you're not _mad_." Enishi's voice said, obviously quite aware that Megumi was indeed _not_ fine and rather wishing she could gnaw his ribcage out. "Bye, Megumi-san. See you around."

"…_Goodbye_," Megumi replied, hanging up the phone in utter shock. She flopped into her chair, traumatized. The one man who would give her space, decency, respect… had just turned into the worst prick in the world! In less than _five minutes_! This certainly had to be a record.

With a sigh, Megumi dejectedly picked up the phone again, dialing Kaoru's phone number. After calling her pal to confide in, Megumi planned to fall asleep. _Damn that Enishi…_

-

Another problem, with this Yukishiro Enishi, was that he lived not two apartments away from Megumi's cute little dwelling. Ironic, yes; painfully so for Megumi as she miserably watched the white-haired man water his plants on his balcony, two days later after their breakup. To make sure he didn't see her, Megumi peeked out of her kitchen window.

_What kind of pansy waters plants!_ Megumi thought sourly; and then ignored the fact that Kenshin loved to water plants, do the laundry, cook, baby-sit, go grocery shopping, and not to mention he had quite a taste in shoes. Megumi sighed. _Kaoru has it good. **Too** good, it's inhuman. _

Sighing once more, Megumi stopped her spying and straightened up from the sneaky position she had formerly assumed. Normally she would be studying or yapping to Kaoru or Misao over the phone; but instead she had been eating her depression food (Bear Claw ice-cream: chocolate ice-cream with caramel, chocolate-covered almonds, and melted fudge all over) and cursing Enishi and his silky, naturally white hair. And his six pack. And his dark green GM Hummer. And his uncannily amazing amount of good luck. Not to mention he wears the cutest little earring on his left ear…

_STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM!_ Megumi nearly screamed at herself, almost stabbing a hole through her half-eaten carton of Bear Claw.

Despite Megumi's constant and unusual depression, she had not forgotten about the moving vans that constantly revisited the apartment grounds. Men had carried packages of all sorts into the empty apartment to the left of Megumi's own; placing them someplace inside the empty dwelling, only to go back for more, like hardworking ants.

A new neighbor hardly excited Megumi. Most likely it would either be some old people or a young married couple with two or three screaming, bratty kids. Megumi stuck another spoonful of ice-cream between her bright red lips, scowling. _Things couldn't get any worse!_

Oh, oh how wrong; how _pitifully_ and _utterly_ _devastatingly_ wrong she was.

-

HE came. Yes, yes, _he_ came that one day…that MAN. No, it wasn't Enishi…it was something _worse_. _Worse_ than Enishi? Yes, Megumi would have scoffed the fact, too; but that was before he came.

_He_ came…and his _stupid excuse_ for a _dog_.

Megumi hadn't expected anything in particular three days after the breakup with Yukishiro Enishi; she was still shoveling in the Bear Claw ice-cream with abandon, and unfortunately had gained two pounds. The horror.

Then again, she probably got the gained pounds squished out of her when Megumi opened up her front door one day, only to be—"KYAAAAAAAAH!"—tackled by the biggest, scariest beast she had ever seen in her lifetime. It weighed at least two-hundred pounds, and resembled a large, fluffy, brown bear with a freakishly big purple tongue lolling out of its mouth; revealing sharp fangs. Up close, the creature's jaws seemed bigger than Megumi herself.

"ROWRF!" yelped the beast with utter pride; he had squashed her! He had squashed Takani-_sensei_!

Megumi's consciousness had just begun to drift away, when a bass voice broke the horrified silence. "N-NOTARO!" Megumi nearly passed out all over again when suddenly the giant, slobbering monster was shoved off her little body, to reveal a handsome young man.

She nearly _died_. Cast the passing out idea to the depths; Megumi's heart nearly _stopped beating_ when someone with dark toffee hair knelt down next to her. His hair was spiked—a lot like Enishi's, to Megumi's displeasure—and highlighted with sandy brown streaks, four thin strands hanging out over his bright chocolate eyes. His thin, bronze face, sculpted but agile form, long legs and charmingly big feet…Megumi had very, very good reason to feel completely humiliated as the walking, talking heartache inquired with evident worry whether or not she was okay.

The guy made Yukishiro Enishi look like a stinky _gym sock_.

"Miss? Miss?" He was waving one of his tanned hands in her face, looking extremely worried at Megumi's unresponsive state. "Miss, are you okay? Jeez, Notaro! You _killed_ her! Stupid mutt!"

"Roof," snorted the disgusting beast from the hallway, not seeming the slightest bit apologetic. Megumi suddenly scowled. _What in the Hell is a dog doing here! _

"Augh…" Megumi shakily sat up, refusing to look at the fretting young man next to her. _Ohhhh, Kami-sama, why are you being so cruel to me! _

"Jeez, uh…I'm sorry, my dog…sorta got to your apartment before I could," the striking stranger said sheepishly. "I was going to visit my new neighbor's n'stuff… Notaro's kind of an idiot, and he likes to jump and slobber on people." Throwing a deadly look at the grinning mass of furry flubber, Sanosuke yelled, "GET!"

With an obnoxious sweep of its curly duster of a tail, Notaro the doctor-squishing dog padded off with a snort. _Piggish beast_, Megumi thought angrily. _And that man…_ Turning to eyeball the knock-out with skepticism, Megumi thought, _He's not from around here; his grammar's adequate to a ten-year-old's. _

_He sure is cute, though_, Megumi thought, blushing slightly. She looked away immediately when the young man looked at her, and nearly hit the doorframe when Megumi felt him put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are ya okay, or…?" He looked really concerned; his politeness compelled Megumi to forgive him of his gangster-ish accent. She wouldn't lie that his features helped out a bit, too. The boy blinked his humiliated russet eyes, and Megumi couldn't help but take notice that this guy indeed, had very long eyelashes.

"I…I'm fine," Megumi said, looking herself over. Her yellow robe had a few smudges from doggy paws upon the shoulders; it'd take some chemicals to save it. Her hair—well, Megumi fixed that by running her fingers through her hair a few times. "I'm okay..."

The man flushed sheepishly, not really quite sure of what to say next. Scratching the back of his neck, he murmured, "The name's Sagara Sanosuke…Damn. This ain't quite how I planned to move in… nearly killed my new neighbor an' all. Or, at least, my dog did."

"If you can _call_ it a dog," Megumi grumbled, and then gasped in surprise. She hadn't meant to say that aloud! Slapping her hand over her mouth, she gave the stranger a blushing glance, meeting his surprised one.

Suddenly, Sanosuke grinned. And he laughed, spreading his inhumanly perfect lips (Megumi was beginning to worry about herself, with the elaborate detail her eyes were drinking in concerning this man) to speak when—a hairy cannonball knocked him over. Actually, it wasn't a hairy cannonball; it was Notaro the doctor-killing mutt, who had decided to tackle his master.

The only problem with Notaro knocking Sanosuke over was that Megumi was right next to the man; meaning that _she_ got bulldozed, too. Falling flat on her back under the weight of the spiky-haired young man, she found herself looking up into Sanosuke's wide eyes, her knees on the either side of his hips.

Awkward silence ensued. Sano began turning a steady scarlet; he hadn't blinked once, and neither had Megumi. And then, the obviously embarrassed Sanosuke said in a bare whisper, "…oops."

_WHY hasn't he moved? MOVE! Why is he still staring at me? MOVE! PERVERT! MOVE! _"Get. _Off_. Me." Megumi's eyes narrowed, and immediately Sanosuke scrambled back onto his heels, turning madly red and averting his eyes. Megumi sat up, scarlet as she fixed her already ruffled yukata.

"I—I'm really sorry," poor Sano stammered, itching the back of his neck. "I really am…k'so… _baka ja ne noka_? (Is this stupid or what?)" He blushed with renewal.

Notaro the dog came creeping up behind the blushing young man, wedging its huge furry head underneath Sano's elbow affectionately. Swiveling his mass of spiky brown hair to glower at the beast, Sanosuke therefore elbowed Notaro right on top of the head. "NOTARO, YOU MORON!" he yelled at the whimpering canine. "I told you to _get lost_!"

Amazingly, the dog did leave, and resumed curling up on Sanosuke's new apartment's doormat. He didn't fit, that's for sure. The dog must have really weighed a ton. _Hmph_, Megumi thought, thinking miserably about the weight she had contracted in three days. "It's alright," she whispered.

"Uh…okay." Standing, the gorgeous excuse for the beastly race otherwise known as man to Megumi held out a hand to help her up. Smiling (that alone caused Megumi to flush to the roots of her hair) brightly, the stranger backed up a bit so that he was standing on Megumi's doormat instead of in her doorway. "My name's Sagara—oomph!"

Megumi's blush drained away into a horrified look. Sagara blinked and turned his head to look over his shoulder, into the narrowed blue eyes of Yukishiro Enishi. The white-haired man glowered at Sagara, who obliviously gazed back.

"Er…hiya." Making a vague motion of greeting, Sagara-san waited for Enishi to respond. "I'm Sagara Sanosuke. And it's a little oppressin' to have you jab your shoulder into the small of my back like that, mister."

Enishi sneered. Megumi really wanted to die, as she clutched her fists over her chest and awaited Enishi's reply. "I suppose you're the man who's moved just next door to Takani-_san_?" Enishi asked in a voice Megumi had never heard him use.

"Yup," Sanosuke grinned.

"I heard her scream. What did you do to her?"

Both Megumi and Sanosuke's expressions turned to surprise and disbelief. Before Sanosuke could reply, as his expression was quickly turning to one of an offended person; Megumi butted in. "_Yukishiro_-san, Sanosuke-san did nothing," she insisted, giving Enishi a rather cold glare. "There's nothing to be worried about, and from the way you're treating him, you're not giving him a very warm welcome. You can go back to watering your plants."

Enishi blinked, narrowing his eyes at the doctor-in-training. Sanosuke scowled, disliking the unacceptable look Enishi was giving Megumi. So he said, being a very outspoken and honest person, "Hey, Yukishiro-_san_, I dunno who you are; but giving a woman a sneer like that is reserved for snotty pricks and bad-mannered punks. Just thought I'd give ya a heads up, ne? 'Cause I don't like the way you turn yer nose up at her."

The look Enishi gave to Sanosuke was enough to make a normal man's knees play the cymbals. Sanosuke stood, undeterred as Enishi said in the same steely voice, "A man with your vocabulary and appearance would know the attitude very well, then, Sanosuke-san? Men like that are often found handling women like whores."

Sano's mouth opened in shock, and for a minute Megumi thought he was going to sock Enishi right across the face. But instead, gritting his teeth, Sanosuke growled, "Maybe, Yukishiro-san, but not quite as well as the patronizin' creep that intimidates girls." Nearly poking Enishi in the chest, Sanosuke grinned nastily. "Back where I came from, we called guys like that _cowards_ and _queers_."

Poised, Enishi shot back, "Where you come from, Sanosuke-_san_, people treat their animals better than their own children." Enishi flicked his eyes over to the not-so-far Notaro, who was lying on Sanosuke's porch like a giant hairball. "From the size of that disgusting creature, and the size of you, I'd say you took pity on the starving children and fed them to it. Or did _you_ devour them first? I heard that's common in places like that."

"_Damare_," hissed Sanosuke, clutching his long fingers into a fist. "Shut up."

Sensing immediate danger, Megumi stepped out onto the porch and said to Enishi, "You be quiet, Enishi! You have no right to talk to Sanosuke-san that way!"

"And you have no right into this conversation," replied Enishi coolly.

Megumi tapped her foot against the veranda. "It's on _my_ porch, Yukishiro-san."

Sanosuke grinned, folding his muscled arms over his chest. "She got you there, Mister Sunglasses. Go water your weeds."

"Hmph." Enishi sneered, turned on his heel, and stormed off to his beloved lawn; his back straight chest thrown out, swaggering down the hall.

"Pansy," Sanosuke huffed underneath his breath. "That's a pretty boy if I've ever seen one. Lookit the way he walks…shakes his butt more than a girl does."

Megumi would have laughed, but for some reason she could not. She would normally suppose that by utterly teeing Enishi off, Megumi would have her revenge and everything would be hunky-dory again—underline the hunky part, as she looked up again at Sanosuke, who was scowling off in Enishi's general direction.

Sighing, Sano looked at himself slightly, asking, "Do I really look that tacky?"

_No_, Megumi thought, gazing at Sanosuke's black tank, which gave her a nice view of his shoulders and just a bit of his torso. To her fascination, Sanosuke had a completely hairless chest; Megumi almost wanted to ask him why. Maybe Enishi _was_ a pretty boy. But Enishi didn't go as far as to wax his chest, or whatever Sano did to make it that way.

"Enishi's just….different," Megumi sighed.

"Mm. He likes you," Sanosuke announced, causing Megumi to freeze in horror. Megumi cried out in confusion, and Sano smirked in a peculiar fashion—despite this, Megumi could obviously tell Sanosuke was not amused by this fact.

"That prick—Enishi or whatever, he likes you. The first thing he asked me is what I did to you, and not to mention he kept giving you looks like you were his girl pal and you'd cheated on him." As he spoke, Sanosuke typically stuck out his pinkie finger, signifying he was speaking about someone's girlfriend. "He's jealous, Megumi-san. Though I can't imagine why."

"Whaaaat?" Megumi cried, outraged.

Sanosuke laughed. "I meant about me, not you, Megumi-san! I mean I don't know why he thinks you'd humor someone like _me_. Hehe…" He seemed so amused about the whole misunderstanding that he looked Megumi in the eye and chuckled like it was the most absurd thing in the world.

"Ah…" Megumi puffed up, slightly offended. So, she attempted to change the subject. "Well… I'm sorry for Enishi's treatment towards you, Sanosuke-san."

Sanosuke rolled his eyes. "Call me Sano. Everyone does…besides, I don't give a damn 'bout Daddy's Lil' Princess. He can smooch his prince and live happily ever after fer all I care."

Megumi couldn't help but laugh at that, and Sano grinned. "Say," Megumi said, smiling eagerly and looking up at the oddly charming man. "Why don't you come over for dinner tonight?"

Sano grinned even wider. "Is that a date, Missy?"

Blushing furiously, Megumi barked, "_No_, it is not! I just want to welcome you to the neighborhood, that's all…" Hoping to regain a bit of her dignity, Megumi pointed savagely at the snoozing Notaro. "But that…_thing_ has to stay at your apartment!"

Shrugging, Sano said, stepping off the mat, "Sure, okay. What time?"

"Er…six?" Megumi said, shrugging as well, feeling rather sheepish. She had nothing planned—she had just randomly blurted out on instinct for Sanosuke to have dinner with her; not that she exactly regretted it. Unlike poor Kaoru, Megumi knew exactly how to cook the kind of meal that would allure any man.

"Cool," Sanosuke nodded, smirking again. Megumi wished to slap him for that smirk; her self-consciousness wasn't to be made fun of. "See ya then, right, Foxy!"

"Who the Hell are you callin' foxy!" Megumi yelled at his retreating back, only for him to burst out laughing. "Get back here before I come after you, you— you—obnoxious _Rooster_!"

Immediately turning about on his heel, Megumi was pleased to find Sanosuke gaping at her with a rather delightfully stupid expression. "Did you just call me a Rooster!" Sano indignantly yelled, looking offended.

"You're the one who called me foxy!" Megumi returned, smugly.

Making a face, Sanosuke growled, "Foxes _eat_ Roosters."

Megumi chortled, believing to have won the argument. However, with a slight snicker, Sanosuke grinned and said, folding his arms again, "And from the looks of it, Foxes eat _chocolate_, too."

With a rather horrified expression, Megumi looked down to find, amid the doggy prints, a little splotch of dark, rich chocolate ice-cream. Turning beet-red, Megumi yelled frantically, "I—it's because of your stupid _dog_! He—he got mud all over me! You wait until the maids find out what it's done to the carpet!"

"It hasn't rained for days," Sanosuke muttered, smirking and looking out a nearby window with pretend curiosity, as though wondering if it might suddenly begin to rain. Though, Sano knew very well that Notaro _did_ leave those paw prints on Megumi's shoulders; but the wee little splotch was unmistakable.

"Don't you be smart with me!" Megumi shouted. "I told exactly the truth!"

Rolling his eyes, as though to humor her irritation, Sanosuke shrugged. "Alright, alright… see ya at six." Turning to go inside his house, Sanosuke paused as he watched the infuriated lady storm inside her home.

_She's pretty cute._ A wry grin twisted Sano's lips, remembering the ruffled woman laying her doorway, looking utterly shocked and a bit frightened, too. The way she smelled of lavender, her how soft her hands were when he helped her up… Sanosuke chuckled at Megumi's recent reaction when he had fallen on top of her. She looked so mad.

Looking down at his snoozing pooch, Sanosuke rubbed the top of Notaro's head with the heel of his shoe affectionately. "Good boy," Sano grinned.

_OWARI. _

_MadiSano:_ Hey, I'm finally back! And with the AU fic! It wasn't as great as I hoped it to be, but I am thinking about continuing this oneshot in an actual fiction:o EniMegSano...interesting, ne? LOL I'll have to do some research and get a better idea on modern Japan... I'm still stuck in the Bakumatsu and Meiji Era...lol. I hope I did moderately well; this oneshot was inspired by Lauz! THANKS SO MUCH! ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU:) By the way, I don't hate Enishi. I love him to peices (psycho maniacs are my type of guys, lol!), but it's just...I love Sano more. Hehe.

I am already half done with the next oneshot, featuring Sano escorting Megumi to a villiage...in the middle of a snowstorm? Uh-oh. LOL the title is: _IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT_! LOL doesn't that sound like an accusation that would naturally ensue from both the Fox and the Rooster...? My, my. LOL Sano's more like Sano in the manga in that one though; he's not quite as goofy as in the anime. He's so cute though! Lol I'm a basketcase...Also, those of you who have seen the Lord of the Rings, the Return of the King...the end song, Into the West (really pretty!), do you think that'd make a really cute, romantic song for Sano and Megumi? I could figure out how to put their relationship to every word...somehow. Your take?

PS: CrimeSceneSC, I'm gonna work on your "When You Say Nothing At All" songfic after I finish the next oneshot! LOL I looked up the lyrics and immediately realized, "Hey...I know this song! DUH!" LOL I felt so silly. Wonderful song!


	8. IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!

_Story Eight: IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! _

"Hey, Fox! Lemme see the map!"

Megumi clutched the item in her hand protectively when Sanosuke attempted to take it from her. Glowering at the exasperated Rooster, Megumi snarled, "I don't think so. We're already lost, stupid; I don't need you to make things worse with your pitiful sense of direction!"

Megumi was visiting Dr. Gensai's sister, who lived in Izu, to check up on her health. Dr. Gensai was busy with the clinic, and Kenshin was too preoccupied with a _very_ irritable, _very_ dangerous, and very _pregnant_ Kaoru to escort Megumi to Izu safely. Yahiko, being too young, was out of the question; which left Sano to escort Megumi to Izu, out of the _pure sweetness_ of his heart.

Sanosuke grumbled, switching the weight of the massive bag of supplies over to his other shoulder. "WHY did I have to come with _you_?" he whined, as Megumi drove him on, up the hilly lands surrounding Izu. "Why do I have to be _here_? _Why_? I could be at _home_… eating Kenshin's food… procrastinating… gambling…warm…"

"Oh, shut up!" Megumi growled, taking another look at the map she held in both hands. The maximum luggage she carried was her little purse; while Sano carried her suitcase, his traveling bag, the food and water supply, and Megumi's medicine box. The poor boy was miserable, since Megumi forced him to take the lead, and the slave-driver of a fox never let him rest or slow his pace.

The worst part of this journey was that it was in the dead of winter. Snow covered the ground, intensifying the difficulties of travel; and intensifying Sanosuke's impatience. "When can we stop for lunch?" he sighed. "I'm tired of this shit."

Megumi rolled her eyes, tugging up the collar of her coat so that it shielded the side of her neck. "We ate when we left, Sanosuke. You can't possibly be hungry now."

"That was, like, four hours ago!" wailed Sanosuke, nearly tripping over his own feet. "And now we're lost… it's all your fault…"

Megumi growled. "How is it my fault?" she demanded.

"You got us _lost_," Sano complained, his breath coming in white clouds. "Everyone knows women can't navigate…"

Snorting, Megumi lowered her eyes back to the chart. "In that cast, you definitely have something missing in your pants."

He shot her an angry glower, but decided not to yelp back angrily as he normally would have. Sano was too hungry. Sano was too tired. Sano was too cold. Sano was too darn well _miserable_. "Stupid woman…" he grumbled, shuffling along in the snow.

"Stupid man…" Megumi returned, smirking. Sano awarded her with another glower, but his words were frozen when an especially cold blast of wintry wind passed right through his clothes. Megumi shivered, too, yelling, "Maybe we should find someplace to stop!"

"No kiddin'!" Sano shouted back, over the whistling wind. "The snow's gettin' worse!" Indeed, snowflakes now fell with twice the intensity of before, blanketing the earth anew in its white waves of cold. "Where to?"

Megumi blinked, squinting in the snow. Indeed, where to? Not a building was in sight; no sign of civilization was near. The Rooster and the Fox were stranded, out in the freezing cold of a rare, heavy winter in Tokyo, Japan.

"I…I don't know," she admitted, and she heard Sano groan with irritation.

His footsteps crunched in the snow as he trudged over to her side, gritting his teeth. "Well then, c'mon," Sano growled, leading her off towards the deeper part of the woods.

"Where are we going!" Megumi asked, catching up to him. The last thing she wanted was to be lost out in the snowstorm by _herself_.

Sanosuke looked back, replying, "There'll be less snow where the trees protect the ground. Maybe we can find a cave or somethin'."

Frowning, Megumi followed the shivering Rooster as he led her deeper into the forest; and to her amazement, he was right. The branches above shielded the ground underneath from a lot of the falling snow, leaving only a thin layer of fluffy white to cake the earth. _Leave it to Sanosuke to be the rational one_, Megumi thought dryly, a slight sneer quirking her lips.

"Ack… there's gotta be someplace around here…" Sanosuke grunted softly as he adjusted the weight of the luggage he was bearing once more, looking about dejectedly. The snow had lessened due to the trees, but it was as cold as ever.

"_Baka Tori-Atama_," Megumi sighed, coming to his side. "Now we're as lost as ever before."

Indignant, the boy snorted obnoxiously in attempt to preserve his pride. "Hmph. Quit whinin', already…" Looking about with an evaluating eye, Sanosuke growled, "My manly intuition tells me we should go….." There was a pause as Sano frowned in concentration, turning in a circle once or twice, abruptly declaring, "That-a-way!"

And thus he marched off in some random direction, nearly leaving behind an infuriated and slightly amused Megumi. She caught up to Sanosuke once more, muttering; "Now we're _really_ lost. Your _manly intuition_ has signed our death notes."

"Whatever." Sano scowled, refusing to look back at the snickering doctor. She always had a way with him; and Sano had always replied to that by being as obnoxious and annoying as possible. Megumi treated him like a child, so he acted like one. Sanosuke figured it was understandable enough.

They walked for a while longer, until Megumi was sure her legs had turned to lead. They ached; and it made them hurt all the more when she thought about Sano, who carried all that weight on his shoulders. Though he didn't show it, the fighter must have been feeling terrible discomfort.

"Have you found us a place to rest, or are you just going to keep on leading me into the woods, without any particular plan or common sense?" Megumi huffed at Sanosuke, who poked out his bottom lip in the familiar way he did, when irritated, determined, or disappointed.

"Feh. This forest must go on f'ever," he complained, coming to a halt. "Guess we'll just hafta camp under a tree."

"In the _snow_?" Megumi hissed.

"If you prefer it, Fox Lady," Sanosuke turned, giving her a sour look. "I'll clear the snow for ya, so you can sit on the muddy ground." Promptly he removed a bag from his back, settling it upon a patch of pure snow; and therefore Sano began to remove the many items from his body, putting them against a nearby tree.

_Lazy-ass Sanosuke's just grumpy because he had to work_, Megumi thought, inspecting Sanosuke's progress. _And because he hasn't eaten._ Stepping her way through the snow to Sano's side, Megumi silently shooed him aside when he was done, rummaging through her bag to retrieve a casket of rice balls.

Sanosuke watched her hungrily as Megumi opened the box, revealing perfectly made _onigiri_. It was a miracle that they were still intact due to the amount of shifting Sano did while carrying the bags, but it really didn't matter at the moment of how they looked. They were _food_.

Just when Sanosuke was ready to abandon all dignity and snatch the entire box out of the doctor's hands, Megumi picked one out and held it out to him. Sano stared at her for a minute; Megumi had never dared to touch anything he was going to eat, nor present it to him personally. She looked so indifferent as she offered the food to him, her dark magenta eyes peering out at him with an almost caring nature. The way the snow's pallor reflected in them made Megumi's long black hair stand out in shimmers, wreathing her white face with a midnight embrace.

"Hello? Are you going to eat it, _baka tori_?" Megumi frowned, waving the _onigiri_ at Sano a bit, hoping to snap him out of it. The young man was gaping at her like she had just sprouted fox ears and a tail.

Stammering something, Sanosuke immediately averted his eyes, reaching out sheepishly to take the rice ball from Megumi. Their fingertips brushed, and Sano nearly dropped the _onigiri_ at the contact.

Raising the fare to his lips, Sano thought, _What was that all about? It's just the Fox-Lady. She looks like she always does…she isn't gonna bite you_. Sanosuke took a bite out of the rice ball, his jaw pausing in mid-chew. In haste he swallowed, gasping, "They're—they're—!"

"Frozen," Megumi finished, after nibbling an _onigiri_ of her own. Of course, the rice balls were not literally frozen; but they were cold enough to make Sanosuke's teeth burn. It was the sort of feeling Kaoru had complained about in Yokohama, when they had taken a disastrous trip by train to the port. The raccoon-girl had demanded to try some Western "Ice-cream," appalled to find that the delicious snack was unbearably cold when she tried to bite it. Kaoru, after shrieking a bit, resumed eating the ice-cream by licking, ignoring Yahiko and Sanosuke's snickers.

"Feh." Sanosuke braced himself, and stuffed the entire rice ball into his mouth, swallowing almost immediately after. He ignored Megumi's incredulous and partially disgusted stare, and wiped his mouth. "They're _gross_. Did _you_ make them?"

Megumi's stare turned into a glare. "Yes, I did," she growled, grimacing as she took another bite. "But it is not _my_ fault they're cold."

"It _is_ all your fault," Sano repeated sourly, folding his arms and plopping down against the tree. "They wouldn't be cold if you didn't drag me along on this stupid trip."

"If I hadn't 'dragged you along'," Megumi replied, sneering, "you wouldn't be eating them."

She had a point. Sano scowled—what was he thinking? Megumi _always_ had a point. It was nigh impossible to win an argument against the vixen. Sanosuke watched her warily as Megumi sat down next to him, still holding her personal _onigiri_ and also holding the box from whence it came.

"If we get out of this storm alive," Megumi said, with no emotion evident, "I'm going to _kill_ you."

Rolling his eyes, Sano muttered, "I wouldn't die even if you killed me."

"Stupid, that makes no sense," Megumi said, unable to control the small smile forming her lips. Sano watched the red shapes form smoothly into a tight grin, his eyes glinting with fascination behind his bandanna and thin bangs.

Megumi shivered, finishing her rice ball and putting away the box. In contrast to how they felt before, Sanosuke and Megumi suddenly didn't feel so hungry. _It's too cold to eat_, Megumi thought, _especially when the food is horrible_.

There was a long silence between the two people, and neither dared to look at the other. Sanosuke folded and unfolded his hands awkwardly, unsure if he should say something, or stay quiet. It was in these moments he didn't know how to handle the Fox Lady—if they were in the middle of an argument, it was a piece of cake to talk to her compared to when it came to conversing like adults. Or breaking a silence, especially one like this. Sano was not exactly a ladies' man.

_It's all her fault_, he thought tiredly. _It's her fault I'm here. It's her fault I had to eat that food. It's her fault I'm cold. It's her fault I'm so damn lovesick. _He jumped in horror—he wasn't supposed to think that. He was supposed to keep those thoughts blocked out of his mind—they were the _unthinkable_, reserved for the nights he lay awake, disgustingly drunk.

Megumi looked at Sanosuke with concern. The man had appeared to be drifting off to sleep, when suddenly he jumped with something like to alarm. "Sanosuke?" Megumi said, frowning.

"Yeah?" he replied, casting her a questioning look.

"Are you alright?"

"Peachy."

Megumi scowled. "Then why did you jump like that?"

"Huh?" Sanosuke stared at her obliviously, pretending that he didn't understand.

Folding her arms, Megumi frowned some more. "You know what I'm talking about."

"No, I don't," Sanosuke replied.

Megumi answered, "Yes, you do."

"Nuh-uh."

"Mm-hmm."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Mm-hmm!" Megumi scowled, getting sick of Sano's stubborn attitude. "Just… never mind. Just shut up."

"No," Sanosuke said cheekily, grinning back at Megumi's infuriated scowl. He was disappointed to find that Megumi didn't bother to reply to him, for instead she turned her head the other way and began to ignore him.

Shifting slightly, Sanosuke slid downwards a bit so that he was reclining against the trunk of the tree. With a soft sigh, Sano folded his arms over his stomach, bowed his head, and proceeded to fall asleep.

Megumi glanced over to him, looked away, and then redirected her gaze back to Sanosuke in horror. "Wake up!" she yelled, shaking Sanosuke frantically. "Don't fall asleep, stupid! Wake up!"

Quite agitated, Sanosuke opened his eyes and pushed Megumi's hands away in irritation. Scowling, he hissed, "What's your problem?"

"You can't go to sleep," Megumi said, just as jaded as Sano. "If you do, in this cold, you may never wake up!" With her statement, Megumi's imagination presented her with the appalling image of a frozen, lifeless Sanosuke, leaned against the tree with his muscles slack, blue skin, lips parted slightly in the sigh of death…

Ruffled, Sano growled, "Why would _you_ care…oh yeah, you wouldn't have anyone to _blame_ stuff on or carry your bags. _Excuse_ _me_." He turned away from Megumi with a huff, for he was not exactly in his best mood.

Megumi glared at his back, and decided she'd let him sleep. Now that she considered it, Megumi felt drowsy as well…shivering, Megumi was blasted back into wakefulness as the snowy cold reminded her of the wintry vice. Shakily getting to her feet, Megumi hobbled over to the luggage and rummaged through the belongings, until she found a blanket. Holding it close, Megumi returned to her spot beside Sano and wrapped her shivering form up in the cloth, sitting sideways and resting her cheek against the bark of the tree.

Chilly moments passed, as Megumi's body began heating back up due to the blanket's warmth, a relieving feeling. Megumi began falling asleep, and soon she did; just in time to see Sano shift, and lay his head in her lap.

-

Megumi awoke, wreathed by soft, thick blankets. A comfortable futon and pillow warmed her side, and Megumi found that someone with warm, bronze skin and a ridiculous mass of rooster-like hair had his arms wrapped around her waist, pressing Megumi up against his chest as he slept.

Tensing, her magenta eyes wide, Megumi slowly looked up at the face of her companion, swallowing loudly as the snoozing face of Sagara Sanosuke came into view. Half of her demanded that Megumi should open up her lips and howl bloody murder, while another half of Megumi whispered that maybe, just maybe, Megumi might let Sano have his way. After all, she did not know the circumstances of the situation just yet.

_I don't give a damn about the circumstances if he raped me_! Megumi thought, beginning to tremble. But then, her tremors were calmed when she immediately reprimanded herself; Sanosuke would sooner commit suicide than consciously harm a woman like that.

_What do I do?_ Megumi then wondered, looking up at the content, oblivious face of the Rooster-Head. _I could wake him up, and smack him to a bloody pulp. Or, I could kick him where it hurts as hard as possible. Maybe I could strangle him to death while he's still sleeping. But then he might wake up, and thinking that I am an assassin, he might unwittingly hurt me in return…_ With partial dismay, Megumi realized she had no plots or replies to this situation that didn't involve beating the crap out of Sano.

Sanosuke shifted, mumbling in his sleep as he nuzzled the top of Megumi's head with his chin and nose. Megumi flushed scarlet, flustered as the emotions she had long attempted to bury rose from the dead, the hope that maybe Sanosuke could one day show her affection instead of spite.

_Don't lie, Megumi_, a voice said happily inside her mind. _You know you're enjoying this! _

_I am not_, Megumi cried out inside. _I hate him! I want him to let go of me. I want him to go away! I hate him!_ Grasping Sano's shoulders, Megumi shook the fighter slightly and growled, "Wake up, moron."

Sanosuke stirred, opening his fuzzy chocolate eyes. He didn't seem to know where he was—heck, Megumi didn't know, either—and blinked a few times in confusion. Then Sano looked down, unsure of whom he was holding; and gasped when he saw an agitated vixen glowering up at him.

"Fox…" he muttered, blushing furiously. Megumi almost wanted to laugh at him because of it, but she was too busy glaring at the Rooster to do so. "Wha…where are we…?" He looked about the room nervously, finding only a simple array of wooden furniture and a nearby shoji. To the pair's relief, their luggage was propped up against the far wall.

"I do not know," Megumi said stiffly, "but if you don't get your hands off my behind, I'm going to slap you into next year."

Instantly removing his hands from Megumi's waist (it's fair enough to Sano's dignity to note that he indeed did not have his hands on any offensive part of Megumi's body), Sanosuke blushed anew and muttered, "_Gomen ne_… I don't understand what's happened… when I fell asleep, we were still in the woods…"

"Same here," Megumi sighed, sitting up. Sano remained on his back, flushed scarlet with embarrassment and—he wouldn't lie—slight glee. He had snuggled with the Fox Lady! Sanosuke would have smirked in merriment, but he didn't want to risk Megumi's reaction.

Now that Sanosuke was warm, comfortable, and well-rested, he only had a few things left to solve: one, his location; two, _why_ in the _world_ he had woken up to Megumi's face; three, the growing hunger rearing in his tummy; and four, he was pretty darn thirsty, too. Having the cold and sleep issue solved, Sano found it a lot easier to handle the Fox Lady; a grumpy Sano was never a happy one.

The shoji door slid open, to reveal an elderly lady. Megumi and Sanosuke immediately recognized her as Doctor Gensai's sister, looking as healthy as ever and in spiffy condition. The two on the futon stared at her in disbelief as she hobbled into the room.

"Oh, you're awake! Wonderful," she smiled, and continued. "Some of the men importing goods to Izu happen to see you when arriving. They picked you up and brought you to me! You're very lucky, you know. The winter cold might have killed you."

"G-Gensai-san," Megumi stammered, blushing. She did NOT want little granny blabbing to her younger brother that she and Sanosuke had shared a futon; all of Tokyo would know before long. "I…I was told you had fallen ill…"

"I had," the elderly woman said, bowing. "And I thank you for answering my call, Takani-sensei! But it seems fate was on my side, and I managed to recover amazingly within the last few days. Though, I have a bit of a cough left, so would you mind giving me a little medicine for that?"

"O-Of course," Megumi stammered, and then said, "And… another thing… why is Sanosuke in my futon…?"

Dr. Gensai's elder sister blinked in slight surprise and confusion. "Why, from the way you two were all snuggled up out in the forest—according to those men, anyways; one would think you were courting."

Megumi blinked in response, her eyes darkening and her head slowly turning to look at Sanosuke with a fearsome stare. "We were _snuggling_, Sanosuke?"

Blushing and putting his hands behind his head, Sano muttered, "It was kind of selfish of you to hog the blankets like that."

"Baka Tori-Atama!" Megumi yelled angrily, causing Sanosuke to flinch with apprehension.

The old woman watched the couple bicker with amusement, getting up and proceeding to the door. "I'll make some lunch for the both of you," she said, "so get up when you feel like it." And she left.

A cold stillness filled the room as the Fox glared at the Rooster with unfathomable rage. Sanosuke averted his eyes, cursing himself. _She's mad at me, now. I didn't think she'd be so damn ticked! _"Megumi," he said, trying to squeeze some reason out of the lady, "I didn't touch you or take advantage of you. Why're ya so mad?"

"It's all your fault," she growled, slamming her hands down on the cushy part of the futon. "It's all your stupid fault…"

Hurt, Sano averted his eyes and asked softly, replacing his hands over his tummy. "Wh… what's all my fault?"

"This," Megumi hissed, waving her hands in the air as she did so, "this is all your fault! It's your fault! Now Gensai-san thinks you are my—my—"

Since it was obvious Megumi was going to go on stammering, Sano offered, "Boyfriend?"

"YES!" Megumi yelled, causing Sano to widen his eyes and a few of his brown bangs to blow out of his face. "Yes—and not to mention when I woke up, you had your hands all over me, and now how am I supposed to ever get a respectable husband if rumor goes around that I've already been with another man! Especially—" Abruptly, she stopped, noticing the look on Sano's face.

"…especially when he's better known as the _Kenkaya_ Zanza?" Sano finished for her, the unmistakable expression resembling that of a kicked puppy flickering over his tanned features. "I didn't do anything to ya, you know… if you want we can talk to the old lady and tell her it was a mix-up…"

Megumi stared at him, the realization slapping her across the face like a snowball trained in Mitsurugi. _He wasn't mad about it_, Megumi thought. _He isn't mad, or embarrassed about me. Now he thinks I hate him, and now Sano thinks he's ruined my life because we happened to be put in the same futon. He wants to erase it all, because I'm being a witch to him._

"Never mind," Megumi sighed at last. To Sano's surprise, she lay down next to him again, folding her hands over her chest nervously. "I'm sorry… I guess it's not that big of a deal."

Rolling onto his side to inspect Megumi's weary expression, Sanosuke let a small pause ensue before asking, "…Does that mean you're not angry at me anymore?"

"Obviously," Megumi said, looking at the ceiling as though praying it might miraculously collapse and kill her. Moments passed, until a soft rustle of blankets was heard, and Megumi nearly had a heart attack when Sanosuke put his left arm around her waist and pulled the Fox against him. "H-Hey—! Just what do you think you're doing!"

"You said you weren't mad no more," Sano grinned, fitting Megumi's head underneath his chin just as it had been before. "So I guess you wouldn't mind, would ya?"

"Oh, shut up," Megumi growled, twitching. "This is all your fault, anyways."

"Nope," Sano shot back, yawning. "I'd let go right away if you asked me to. You're lettin' me do this, so therefore, it's all _your_ fault."

Indignant, Megumi flew into a fit. "It is not my fault! _You're_ the one who put your head in my lap, _you're_ the one who hugged me, _you're_ the one who did that damn puppy-dog face to make me feel bad, and _you're_ the one who chose to—mmff!"

Sick of listening to the doctor prattle, Sanosuke shut Megumi up the best way he could figure: he flat out kissed her. To his surprise, Megumi didn't struggle at all—in fact, she simply twitched once in shock; and Sano could have sworn she moved her lips against his once or twice. Butterflies played the Hokey-Pokey in his stomach as the realization came to Sano, and he let the Fox Doctor go.

Silence. And then, Megumi asked, "What was that for?"

Rolling his eyes—to think Sanosuke had thought the meaning to be obvious!—he smiled and said, "You wouldn't shut up. So I did it for you."

She glared at him momentarily, at Sano and his lazy smirk. Then Megumi muttered, "This really _is_ all your fault, Rooster."

"Just as much as yours, Fox," Sanosuke replied, his grin widening. "It's not my fault you won't cure me." Confused, Megumi looked up at Sano's gleeful expression for a reply. She got one, as Sanosuke grinned down at her and whispered, "Told ya once. Lovesickness."

Megumi reddened, from the heels of her feet to the roots of her hair—Sano was lovesick! Passing out was a good but unreachable option at this point, so Megumi instead lowered her eyes and said, "Oh."

"'Oh'?" Sano repeated, puzzled. Surely, Megumi had more to say than _that_!

She remained silent, gazing at the golden tinge of Sanosuke's chest until her vision blurred over from staring too long, into a mass of ginger. Megumi was faintly aware of Sano's anxious breath stirring her bangs, as his hold around her waist tightened in apprehension. _Well_, Megumi thought, _can I cure him? Can I cure Sano's… malady?_

"Sano…I don't know," Megumi said softly, blushing. Sanosuke remained silent, though he couldn't help but let a bit of disappointment leak through. But he listened anyways, waiting for Megumi to finish. "Sanosuke… what kind of lovesick?"

Sano felt a knot form in his throat. _She's afraid I'm gonna treat her like the Akabeko_, he realized. _An eat-and-run._ "I'm _really_ lovesick," Sanosuke murmured, "I mean, I think about you before I go to sleep, and when I wake up in the morning. I think about you when I'm gambling, fighting, and hanging out with Kenshin and the gang. I wonder what you're doing every night…maybe saving the life of another person, or spending the night at _Jou-Chan_'s… every time I argue with you, I hope you'll smile and me or say something nice instead; and every time I go to the Dojo, I hope you're there, too…and I break my hand all the time 'cause I want to see you again..."

The poor boy's face was crimson now, as he softly poured out his heart to the silent Fox Lady. Megumi listened to every word, and to the rapid heartbeat she could hear drumming inside his chest. How hard it must be, for the usually so tough-shelled fighter to admit his feelings, to his sparring partner and former object of spite? Megumi, he knew, had every right to reject him and snarl at him, for the more he thought about it; the more Sanosuke realized just how much of a jerk he had been, from the very start. He had tried to make up for it, but succeeded miserably.

"I think about you a lot," Sano whispered. "But I was afraid to tell you that, 'cause I knew you deserved to hate me…and I was afraid you did, or would. And then this happened, and I ruined everything—"

Sano gasped as the Fox Lady's lips met his, unexpected as her words that came afterwards. "Be quiet, stupid," she ordered, in an oddly affectionate manner. "I don't hate you. In fact, you should hate _me_. I'm the one who caused your friend to die, and…"

A little silence developed between the Rooster and the Fox, as the lanky teenager looked down at the doctor, who stared right back up at him. Then he smiled, and laughed softly. His laughter grew, until Megumi suddenly found that she, too, had began to giggle.

"Wha—w-what's so f-f-funny?" she demanded, amid her snickers.

"Dunno! You tell me!" Sano laughed, smiling wide. They both continued to giggle like children, until both Megumi and Sanosuke were out of breath and panting. Hugging the Fox to him still, Sanosuke sighed and looked down at Megumi solemnly.

Pulling the blankets over her shoulder, Megumi sighed too, and looked up at the silent Rooster-Head. "You know, Sanosuke…" she whispered, "I've been sick. I've been extremely sick ever since I fled from Kanryuu…and my illness is incurable. One day, I will die of it."

"W-What!" Sanosuke's eyes widened in horror, and he immediately sat up in alarm, looking down at the lady doctor. "Die? _Die_? You can't _die_! What do you mean? What are you sick from? Meg—Megumi, tell me what it is and I'll do whatever I can to get a cure—"

Putting her hand over his mouth, Megumi pulled the fretting boy back down onto the futon with her, putting her head on his chest. His heart was beating frantically, and Megumi smiled. "You didn't let me finish, Sanosuke. Ever since I ran from Kanryuu, I've been suffering from this illness, and a doctor like me is very unwilling to admit to anyone that she is sick; especially from this sort of disease. And because of it, I find it difficult to heal your lovesickness."

"What is this disease?" Sano asked, his voice trembling.

Megumi smiled. "Like you, Sanosuke, I am extremely, undeniably lovesick. And unless I find someone to cure this for me, I will die of a broken heart."

Comprehension perched on Sanosuke's face, and he smiled in relief. "I think I can cure that, Foxy-sensei," Sanosuke sighed, pleased. "But only if you let me."

Megumi snickered, pulling Sanosuke's lips to her own in reply. After a while, they pulled away, and lay together for a few minutes, curled up. Sanosuke laid his head on Megumi's chest in ease, and Megumi busied herself by stroking his Rooster-like hair and narrow features with her long fingertips. "You may do whatever you please to cure me of this lovesickness, Sagara Sanosuke," Megumi whispered into his ear, "because it's all your fault, anyways."

_OWARI._

_MadiSano:_ An amazingly quick update! Haha:) In fact, I have another one ready to post right now (which will be posted after the next fic), and then my "When You Say Nothing At All" songfic is reeaaallly close to being finished...I'm on a writing rampage! Yay! Heh. I'm glad you all approve of the "Into the West" songfic...but I've found another song I really like that I want to use, too! Ack! Ah well, I'll inform you all about that later...it's called "At the Beginning." If you've seen the credits of the cartoon Anastasia, you've heard it before. :)

Also, new idea! This came to mind with the help of MissTeak: Sanosuke's daughter (Seiko) is about to have her first date:o With who? Who? Who? Why, Himura Kenji, of course! But the thing is...daddy doesn't want his little girl to grow up quite so fast, even if she's going to hang out with Kenshin's son. The outcome...? Chaos. Kaoru's temper unleashed. Much oroing. :) You like? Anyways, that's about it, all...oh wait! Yes, I may continue Good Boy...we'll see. Heh. Glad everyone liked Notaro! XD He's so funny!


	9. When You Say Nothing At All

_Story Nine: When You Say Nothing At All _

Megumi watched as Sanosuke slept softly, making only soft muffled noises as he rested. He looked so perfect, lying in the grass beside Megumi, beneath the stars. They twinkled and flickered in the sleeping sky above, winking down at Megumi from far away.

Two young children cuddled up to their father, both a boy and a girl. The girl slept in the crook of Mr. Sagara's arm, her little face buried into her daddy's chest. Her ruffled auburn hair hung stubbornly in her eyes, which were closed in rest and concealed her bright brown eyes with long lashes. Despite Sagara Seiko's roughhousing habits (inherited from the obvious parent), both her mother and father knew already that it was going to be a challenge to keep her safe from the potential crowd of suitors one day.

The younger sibling had his arms around his _otousan_'s neck, fast asleep on Sanosuke's chest. Sagara Hisoki was the subsequent child, the one born some time after Seiko. The two were certainly nothing alike: while Hisoki was a quiet, shy, but amazingly intelligent boy; Seiko was more concerned on how to bite off her father's ear or finger, and of what work of art to create on her mother's office wall with her snack food. Supposedly, the second child was usually the wild one, but the case was reversed in this situation.

Megumi watched her snoozing family with silent joy, reaching out to brush one of Sanosuke's thin bangs out of his eyes. She then bent over to kiss just near his eye, making sure not to disturb little Hisoki or Seiko.

Stirring, Megumi's husband opened his eyes blearily and frowned slightly as they focused. Conscious of his resting children, Sanosuke smiled and looked at Megumi with a twinkle in his chocolate eyes.

_It's amazing how you  
can speak right to my heart.  
Without saying a word,  
you can light up the dark…  
Try as I may, I could never explain,  
What I hear when you don't say a thing… _

Sighing softly, Megumi lay down next to her lover, placing her head on his shoulder. His right arm came up behind her to hold her close, and a warm smile spread Sanosuke's lips. Megumi smiled back, looking at him and the slumbering Hisoki, who had his forehead tucked up against Sano's chin. The two looked incredibly alike, save for that Hisoki did not have his father's Rooster hair, though it did spike up in the cutest places. Seiko simply refused to have her hair brushed, and threatened to bite if anyone dare try.

Hisoki stirred, and opened his big red-brown eyes curiously. Being a introverted child, he made no noise except for a soft snuffling, and he yawned. Sanosuke grinned, and Hisoki frowned in puzzlement. Another thing that Hisoki did not have in common with his father was his eyes. Hisoki had much wider and innocent eyes than Sano had, and Megumi's coloring. In contrast, Seiko's beautiful but narrowed brown eyes always portrayed her father's attitude, rather dangerously. But she still lay, sleeping soundly.

Megumi laughed softly, craning her neck to press her lips briefly to the corner of Sanosuke's mouth. Hisoki, jealous of the consideration, silently pushed his mother from Sanosuke, and gave her a hug; squeezing his eyes shut in determination to win his _okkasan_'s attention. Sanosuke chuckled softly as his son clung desperately to Megumi as she sat up, holding Hisoki fondly.

Sanosuke watched as Megumi kissed Hisoki's forehead, the boy smiling happily at the gentle affection he loved to receive.

_The smile on your face  
lets me know that you need me.  
There's a truth in your eyes,  
saying you'll never leave me.  
A touch of your hand says  
you'll catch me if ever I fall.  
You say it best,  
when you say nothing at all._

Hisoki nuzzled his mother's neck, feeling very much at home. Megumi wasn't sure of how exactly she was going to tell Hisoki in a few years, when he turned six or seven, that he had grown much too heavy for her to carry around. The boy loved attention and loved to be held, kissed, and hugged. Megumi doubted that would ever change, but it amused her that Seiko one day might be able to beat the crap out of any hooligan, while Hisoki would simply faint or flee for his life.

She supposed she'd worry about it later. Megumi stroked the back of Hisoki's untamed midnight hair, listening to the soft breathing of the drowsy child. He was so sweet. Megumi looked over at Sanosuke, who was half-asleep, his russet eyes glinting in the starlight as the man struggled to stay awake, just like his child.

Chuckling, Megumi lay down and nestled into her husband's chest, making sure Hisoki was comfortable and undisturbed. Sanosuke turned his face leisurely to bury his face into Megumi's hair with a soft sigh, and she felt his lips twitch into a smile.

Seiko mumbled something in her sleep, and it was only that and the soft beating of Sagara Sanosuke's heart that reached Megumi's ears as she closed her eyes.

_All day long I can hear  
people talking out loud.  
But when you hold me near,  
you drown out the crowd.  
Old Mister Webster  
could never define  
what's being said  
between your heart and mine. _

A while later, they left, and returned home. Sanosuke drowsily carried sleeping Seiko on his shoulders, holding her little feet gently to keep her in place as his daughter rested her head and hands in Sano's outrageous hair.

Megumi still held Hisoki, who was now fast asleep, as she opened the front door to the Sagara residence, allowing her husband and children inside first before locking the door behind her.

It was dark inside the home, of course, but it only took a moment for Megumi to ignite a dim lamp, flooding light into the room and casting dancing shadows that moved in rhythm to the flame. Sano looked at Megumi, who nodded silently. They accompanied one another to Seiko and Hisoki's room, where they placed either child in their beds. It took a moment for Sanosuke to put Seiko on her little futon, for his daughter had entangled her fingers stubbornly in his impossibly thick hair. After a few complications and some assistance from Megumi, Seiko was freed and put to bed, still asleep.

Hisoki was easily put to bed, breathing softly as usual when Megumi laid him to sleep. Almost immediately the boy rolled onto his side, like he usually did, and hid his face in his pillow. Megumi often worried that Hisoki might smother himself in the night, so she therefore replaced her son on his back. He made a grumbling noise, and resumed his position. This had happened before; nevertheless Megumi kept trying to train Hisoki into a different sleeping arrangement. It didn't work this time, either.

Sanosuke's muscled arms slipped through her own, and Sano held her against him, smiling happily and kissing Megumi's neck. She let her head fall to one side, so that it rested against Sano's gently; and for a moment, they stood there, together, in silence.

_The smile on your face  
lets me know that you need me.  
There's a truth in your eyes,  
saying you'll never leave me.  
A touch of your hand says  
you'll catch me if ever I fall.  
You say it best,  
when you say nothing at all… _

Yawning, Sanosuke cleared his throat quietly. He released Megumi from his embrace, taking her hand. With one last glance to make sure both children were sleeping peacefully, and with convincing confirmation, the two smiled contentedly with soft joy.

Kissing his wife's lips chastely, Sano nuzzled her face for a moment, before squeezing Megumi's hand lovingly and leading her out of Seiko and Hisoki's bedroom. Their feet made soft padding noises as they crossed the _tatami_ floor, to the room just next door to their children's.

Moonlight flowed in from the window sill, splashing pools of silver light on the floor, wooden furniture, and the soft covers of the futon lying in the center of the room. Their footsteps cast shadows on the flooring, and soon Sanosuke and Megumi lay silent on their bedding, his arms tight around her waist. Megumi sighed quietly, pressing her face into Sano's chest, his soft breathing and the steady thud of his heartbeat breaking the silence.

Sano smiled tiredly, pressing his lips to Megumi's forehead before closing his eyes. _Megumi…I love you…_

_The smile on your face  
lets me know that you need me.  
There's a truth in your eyes,  
saying you'll never leave me.  
A touch of your hand says  
you'll catch me if ever I fall.  
You say it best,  
when you say nothing at all… _

_OWARI. _

_MadiSano: _And thus, we have CrimeSceneSC's request! Thank you very much for asking for this songfic; it was sort of... well, mellow, and I like the change in my style when I wrote it. Thank you all for helping me grow! Also, I have an apology to make. I sent SweetMisery49 an email, but I'd also like to say here that I'm very sorry--the last oneshot "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" was requested by SweetMisery49 and I'm very sorry for not remembering to say so! (sighs) Being the bubblehead I am, this won't be my last mistake. I can't WAIT to see what I do next. LOL! XD Maybe I should videotape myself.

Up next is a fanfic I wrote a while back, but I left unfinished. I found it a few days ago, finished, and edited it...I overall like it to a decent extent. It has a weird title, so don't be too surprised..."Hamsters,Golfish, and Cap Erasers".XD Yes, I know... what have I done? Not too many comments about my idea for Seiko's first date...if you simply have no idea of what I'm talking about, read the second paragraph of my authors note in chapter 8! Thank you all very much! Ja ne!


	10. Hamsters, Golfish, and Cap Erasers

_Story Ten: Hamsters, Goldfish, and Cap Erasers _

_(This is an alternate universe, aka AU fic) _

"I SAID, I DON'T HAVE ANY!" yelled the seven-year old, rooster-headed boy. The elder kids sneered at the child's helplessness and rage, as they squished him into his seat on the school bus, and demanded his lunch money.

It was Sanosuke's second week at school, and already he had made enemies with nearly every kid in the district. Throwing food, punches, insults, chalk, and even large pinecones at numerous people (including teachers) had earned him the official title as the most monstrous brat around.

In fact, a few days before; Sano's Math teacher, Sayo Amakusa, had told him to correct the addition problem upon the board. Sano had waltzed up the aisle, making sure to make a scene as he did so (stepping on feet, grinning widely). Amakusa-_sensei_ couldn't see this, since the desks were concealing the children's feet; but when she handed Sano the chalk he was to use, she let out a horrified scream when Sano popped it into his mouth and swallowed it.

Most of the class had burst out laughing; but Miss Sayo thought it remotely funny. She ordered him to go to the office immediately, which Sano did without complaint. On his way, he had knocked on every door, and hid inside the elevator to watch the teachers look confusedly out in the hallway, wondering who had knocked.

To top it off, Sano had to wait for the principle. He sat on the bench in the office, swinging his skinny legs back and forth; until he spotted the fish tank across the room. Making sure the secretary was not watching, Sanosuke crept up to the tank. He peered inside, pressing his nose against the glass; peering curiously at the swimming creatures...until he got another idea.

Climbing atop a nearby chair, Sano promptly had stuck his hand in the tank. He fished around, until he caught a small yellow fish in his fingers. "HEY!" he shouted at the secretary, who nearly died of a heart attack. "LOOK AT ME!" Sanosuke then promptly looked skywards, opened his mouth, and ate the poor fish whole.

Let's just say that chalk and fish don't mix, because minutes later (after the secretary had awoken from her faint and started yelling for the principle and the nurse) Sanosuke felt very sick. Without further ado, just as the nurse came into the office; he threw up on the office floor.

"AAAH!" yelled the secretary, whose name was Tae Sekihara.

"Oh my," said the nurse; whose name was Tomoe Yukishiro. She looked mildly surprised; but after two weeks of enduring Sanosuke's antics and their results, she wasn't _too_ shocked.

Sanosuke thought it was the funniest thing ever. Wiping his mouth on his little sleeve, he then threw his head back and laughed like a maniac. He laughed until the principle's office door opened, and to Sanosuke's pleasure, out stepped Principle Hiko.

"_You _again," Hiko had growled in his profound voice, as though he and Sano were long-time enemies.

"Me again!" Sano shouted proudly, throwing his hands up into the air.

Hiko sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Miss Tomoe, take him and patch him up. After that, have him come and see me. Miss Tae, have the janitor come..."

"Yes, sir," they both replied, and the matter was settled. Sort of. Sano didn't stop there...then again, he never stopped anywhere. But I won't go any further, for it's the present I wish to write of.

When Sano had boarded the bus one particular day, he had decided to be bold and sit a little further into the back of the bus than he usually did. That decision had gotten him into the situation he was in now.

"What you mean by that?" an older kid snickered, upon hearing Sano's denial of owning any lunch money. "Little twits like you can't go without your naps and teddy bears, least of all your lunch."

Sanosuke had enough. He was sick of them pushing his head downwards by placing a hand on his spiky mop of hair, and sick of them bothering him at all. Without really considering the consequences, Sano whipped his head around and gave his restraint a good chomp.

"UWAAAH!" yelled the bitten teen. "HE BIT MY FINGER! IT'S BLEEDING!"

Sanosuke bared his teeth angrily, to prevent any more attempts to restrain him. Hugging his backpack to his chest, Sano stood, and got out of his seat, but not before giving the screaming teen a good kick in the leg.

" Moron," Sano spat, strutting back up the aisle. Every eye was upon him; fortunately, the bus driver was too busy listening to an incoming message from the bus garage to notice much. Sanosuke took a seat, right next to a pretty raven-haired girl.

Expertly ignoring the little girl, Sano raised his chin high and jutted out his bottom lip, refusing to look at her. _Of all the dumb things... _Sano thought, exasperated, _I had t'sit by a girl!_

"Hi."

_Oh no! _Sano thought desperately. _She's talking to me! It's the end!_ "Hi," he replied shortly, stealing a quick glance at the unwanted speaker.

She was nearly as tall as he, about the same age, too. She had slinky black hair that reached to her hips, and big maroon eyes that looked at Sano curiously. Her little mouth was twisted into a nervous expression, and she kept a Bratz backpack in her lap. Her black skirt and blue top added to her girly atmosphere, and her little white shoes knocked rhythmically together as she waited for Sano to say something more.

_WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS SEAT? _Sanosuke screamed inside his head, desperately trying to keep himself expressionless.

"My name's Megumi Takani," the girl said after a moment, realizing Sano was refusing to speak.

"I'm Sanosuke Sagara," Sano replied sheepishly, looking down at his backpack.

Megumi smirked slightly. Sano took another glance; yes—she _smirked_. Intimidated, Sano thought to himself, _Girls don't smirk. They smile like dummies and giggle. Why is she smirking at me? Is she really a girl? AAH! WHAT IF SHE'S AN ALIEN? She could be part of some evil plan to take over the world, and suck our human brains! She's out for some science experiment on Mars! Oh my gosh, I'm dead meat—I'm sitting next to an alien! ALIENS! I have to warn everybody before she knows that I know who she really is, and brainwashes me! What do I do? WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhadoIdo! _

"Um, are you okay?" Megumi asked him. "You're making all these funny faces."

Sanosuke flushed pink. "Um—what?" he stammered, looking at Megumi in a clueless manner.

"You're making faces!" Megumi repeated. "Like this." She tightened her lips, narrowing her eyes, and scrunching up her nose, giving her a rather agitated look.

There was a little silence. And then, "H…heh, heh…ha…hahaha!" Sano started to laugh; and before Megumi could help it, so did she. They laughed themselves silly, until neither could breathe; so they had to stop.

"Oh my gosh..." Sanosuke wiped the tears from his eyes. "You're not so bad, after all..."

"Did you think I'd be bad?" Megumi asked, frowning slightly. "I'm not an alien, or anything."

Sanosuke stared at her, until he let himself sigh in relief. "Good...that's good t'know... man, from the way you were lookin' at me, I thought you were one..." Ducking Megumi's Bratz bag as she swung it at him, Sano cried, "What was that for? I was payin' you a compliment!"

"It's not nice to say you thought someone's an alien!" Megumi cried, offended. She replaced her book bag on her lap, and continued, "I mean, if I were to say something like that; I'd say you look like a chicken because of your hair! Are you a _chicken_, Sanosuke?"

Sanosuke was outraged. "No!"

"Then you see what I mean!" Megumi sniffed, upset. She looked out the window and refused to talk to Sano anymore.

Unsure of what to do now, Sano continued to stare at her. He was hoping she'd turn around and say something like, "It's okay. Never mind," but she didn't. He waited, and waited... but she _still_ ignored him.

"Hey!" Sanosuke yelled at her. "It's not nice to ignore people!"

Megumi didn't answer. Sano glared at her. "You're awful," he said at last, and looked away. _Dumb girls..._ he thought. _Right when ya think you found a normal one, they do something really weird..._

"Hey, Sanosuke..."

Sano twitched when he heard Megumi speak. He turned to give her an evil look. "What?" he said levelly, but the irritation seeped through quite obviously.

"Are you going to apologize to me, or what, silly?" Megumi growled, glaring back with equal ferocity.

Sano looked shock. "Say sorry? To an _alien_? I don't think so!" He folded his arms over his chest, looking away insolently.

"YOU'RE MEAN!" Megumi shouted, and half the bus looked over at them.

Unlike Megumi, Sano didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed that everyone was looking at them. He _liked_ attention, of all sorts. Standing up in his seat, Sanosuke held up a cap eraser. "BETCHA I CAN EAT THIS AND LIVE!" he shouted.

Megumi gasped. "You can't eat an _eraser_! You'll choke!"

"Since when are _you_ a doctor?" Sanosuke muttered to her, and then lifted the eraser high above his mouth so everyone could see him eat it. Megumi tried to stop him, but Sano pushed her away and swallowed the erasing device without another thought.

Sanosuke grinned, proud of his achievement; but then felt a peculiar and frightening sensation in his throat. He frowned slightly, sitting down in his seat. It was hard to breathe, and Sano began to get scared as he realized that perhaps, erasers were too big for him to swallow.

"Sanosuke...?" Megumi whispered, afraid at Sano's horrified expression.

It hit him all at once. He was _choking_. Trying furiously to breathe, tears came to his eyes as Sanosuke began to gag and choke loudly. He tore at his throat, writhing in his seat as he tried to get the eraser out of him.

"SANOSUKE!" Megumi screamed, pushing past him and running to the front. "MRS. KAMIYA! SANOSUKE'S CHOKING!"

Kaoru Kamiya, the bus driver, pulled over immediately. Racing to the choking boy, she took one glance at him and the picked him up from the seat. Proceeding into the Heimlich maneuver, Kaoru attempted to make Sano cough up the eraser. "What did he swallow?" she demanded of Megumi.

"A-An eraser..." Megumi sobbed. She had begun to cry seconds ago, afraid that her new friend was to never know that she was sorry for yelling at him.

"You, teenagers! Anyone of you got a cell phone? Call an ambulance!" Kaoru barked to the back of the bus, and immediately, a girl flipped open her phone and dialed 911.

Kaoru did everything she could in attempt to give Sanosuke air, or free his throat from the eraser. Already, Sano had been choking for over two minutes. The sirens of an ambulance split the air, and in seconds, men from the hospital had taken Sanosuke from Mrs. Kamiya and rushed him into the ambulance vehicle. Sanosuke had lost consciousness seconds before.

"Sanosuke..." Megumi collapsed into her seat, hugging her knees to her chest. She wasn't sure what to do; tears were spilling from her eyes. An older girl came to sit with her—until Megumi realized that it wasn't a girl, but a boy.

Soujirou Seta patted her back, whispering, "It's okay, Megumi-chan. I'm sure Sanosuke-chan will be just fine."

"B-but..." Megumi let out another sob. "...I didn't even g-get to say that I was s-sorry...what if he doesn't come back? I had a h-hamster once that didn't come back when I let it o-out in the yard...I thought it l-loved me, but it never came b-back..."

Soujirou looked down sadly at the little girl. After a moment, he said softly, "Sanosuke-chan will come back, Megumi-chan. I've seen how he acts, and I know that just because he's been let loose...it doesn't mean he'll run away, like your hamster."

"Promise?" Megumi whispered, looking up at Soujirou with begging eyes.

Unsure of how to tell her this, Soujirou crouched down so that Megumi could lean her head against his shoulder. "Megumi-chan...sometimes, your hamster may run away, but it won't leave you forever."

"What do you mean?" Megumi asked softly, eyes wide.

"I mean," Soujirou whispered, "You may not see Sanosuke-chan for a while, but he'll be thinking about you." The tears began again, and all the way to school, they flooded Megumi's cheeks and dampened her blue blouse. Her hamster had run away.

_Seven years later..._

Sanosuke shifted in his sleep, brow furrowing as the insistent beeping of his alarm clock went right through his head. It seemed so loud in comparison to the quiet house. Swearing softly, Sano got up on his hands and knees to look at the clock tiredly. 6:15. A little over a half-hour before the bus arrived.

After stretching, the fourteen-year-old Sanosuke Sagara crawled out of bed. Before he could put two thoughts together, Sano's bare foot had landed on his skateboard. His feet flew out from beneath him, and Sanosuke fell flat on his face with a: "Crap—!"

_Who put the stupid skateboard in my way? _Sanosuke growled, irritated. He looked up from the carpet dizzily, and as his eyes focused, Sano saw his book bag lying strewn on the floor a few feet away.

Getting up and arranging his school items (rather, just tossing them inside and not caring in what order they happen to fall in), Sanosuke paused when he came upon a familiar object.

A cap eraser. Sanosuke remembered the day he had choked on such a thing, of how frightened he had been. He remembered Megumi's traumatized expression, and Mrs. Kamiya trying to save him...and then nothing.

He had woken in the hospital...he didn't know how long he had been asleep, but he was beyond relief when he found he could breathe normally. His mother and father were in the room, exclaiming their joy. Sanosuke had been attacked by kisses from his mom, and afterwards received a good talking-to from his father. But Sano figured his dad still loved him...of course.

Sanosuke sighed at the memory, tossing the eraser aside. Sano grabbed some jeans—whether they had already been worn, Sano didn't care—and a white T-shirt. After rummaging around for some underclothes and socks, Sanosuke left his bedroom to creep quietly to the bathroom, so not to awaken his parents or little sister.

Ten minutes later, Sano emerged from the bathroom, dressed and ready for school. His hair was as spiky and ruffled as ever, but Sano didn't give a care. He paused, glanced at the mirror, and simply quirked an eyebrow.

"I really gotta get a haircut," Sanosuke mumbled to himself, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. His hair was hanging down his neck, but didn't reach his shoulders. Narrowing his eyes, Sanosuke sighed at the hopeless mop of brunette that lived atop his skull.

When the school bus finally came to stop at Sano's house, he ran out the front door with his backpack bouncing as he jogged to the bus, his long legs carrying him across the yard without difficulty.

He came on the bus, determined to solve his first priority: finding a seat. Scanning the rowdy bunch of kids, Sano decided to sit in the middle of the bus. There was only one empty seat, so Sano took it. Plopping down, Sano tossed his bag aside. He jumped when he heard a startled yelp, whirling around to find that someone, indeed, was sitting there.

Throwing his pack back at him (Sanosuke caught it); Sano was embarrassed but pleased to find Takani Megumi sitting there. She had been slumped down in her seat, her knees pressed against the back of the next seat, reading a book. Her hair had been ruffled from the surprise attack, and she had a fiery and irritated look in her cinnamon eyes that Sanosuke had always found attractive.

"You idiot!" Megumi barked, fixing her hair crossly. "As if being a disgrace to humanity wasn't enough, you had to go and smack me with your backpack!"

Sanosuke wasn't the slightest bit insulted. "Hey, Fox, it's kinda hard to see you when you're all hunkered down in your den. Don't blame me if I come steppin' on you."

Megumi scowled. "You _had_ to sit here, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah!" Sanosuke said enthusiastically, scooting closer and putting his arm around Megumi's shoulders. He felt her freeze like ice against his touch. "How can I not want to be around the hot stuff that saved my life?"

"For the last time," Megumi growled, "I did _not_ save your life! _Mrs. Kamiya _did, and at some point, someone would have noticed that you were choking, anyways." She nudged him. "Get off me."

Sanosuke withdrew, putting his hand over his heart as though injured. "Why, Meg...I never knew you were so heartless! You've broken me."

"I really will break you if you don't go away," Megumi snapped, picking up her book.

Seconds later, Megumi found that Sanosuke had scooted over to her again. Pressing the side of his face to hers, so that he could see the pages of the book, he asked, "Ooh, whatcha readin'?"

Megumi leaned away uncomfortably. "..._Chronicles of Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader_...why?"

"Man, why do you _read_ that stuff?" Sano asked, looking at her strangely. "Why not read stuff that's interesting?"

"It _is_ interesting!" Megumi replied sharply.

Sanosuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, if you're a _centaur_."

"Then what do _you_ propose I read?" Megumi sighed, marking her page and giving Sanosuke a look.

Sanosuke's lips twitched into a smirk. "_Naruto_'s pretty good..."

"Yeah, sure..." Megumi's eyes narrowed. "If you're a pervert, and like watching guys use _ninjutsu_ to appear as naked girls."

A light pink arose to Sano's cheeks. "Well, then..._Yu Yu Hakusho_'s a good series."

"The main character flips skirts," Megumi pointed out. "And touches things he shouldn't."

The pink grew darker. "How about _Dragon Ball Z_?"

"That's for weak little boys who wish they weren't," Megumi replied. "Besides, the guys on the show look like Arnold Swartznegger that stuck a fork into an electric socket."

Sanosuke grew red, and yelled, "That's not true! Well, then—how about... about... er... what else _is _there?"

"Fruits Basket," Megumi said with a victorious smile. "Hikaru No Go, Wolf's Rain, Cardcaptor Sakura--"

"Yeah," Sanosuke growled, cutting her off. "Tokyo Mew Mew, and Pokemon, too."

Megumi sighed, rolling her eyes. "You're just a stupid boy," she snapped. "What can you know? You're so full of yourself..." Megumi promptly opened the book again, beginning to read and disregarding Sanosuke again.

"You're ig-nor-ing meee...!" Sanosuke sang, poking Megumi in the side of the head. Her left eye twitched, but she said nothing. Sanosuke poked her in the arm this time, a little harder. Megumi's eyes twitched again.

Finding this very amusing, Sano continued to jab Megumi—in the neck, cheek, ear, arm, wrist, forearm, chin, and nose. Megumi was growing more and more irritated, and Sanosuke finally decided to pull a finale with the scenario, and grabbed Megumi's thigh.

"PERVERT!" Megumi smacked him with the _Chronicles of Narnia_—a very large book with all seven novels in one—causing Sanosuke's backpack to drop into the aisle.

Amidst laughing like crazy, Sanosuke bent over to pick up his bag, and gathering the few materials that had fallen out. One of them caught his eye, and he slapped his hand over it to prevent it from rolling away. He sat upright, grinning at the blushing Megumi. "Hey, Megumi," he teased, holding up a green cap eraser. "Betcha I can eat this and live!"

A look of anger and fear joined the redness of Megumi's face. "Don't you _dare_!" she screamed, but Sanosuke had already popped the eraser into his mouth, and swallowed it.

"AAAH!" Megumi screamed. "Sano, you moron!"

Sanosuke's face took a terrifying shade of scarlet, as his lips parted and his jaw dropped, tremors shaking his entire body as his lips gasped for air. Megumi cried out, grabbing Sano by the shoulders and shaking him in fear, babbling frightened nonsense as she attempted to make Sanosuke cough the eraser up.

And then he _grinned_. Megumi froze. Sano's smirk grew wider, and he stuck out his tongue to reveal a green cap eraser perched on its tip. Megumi's jaw dropped in shock, but she quickly recovered as she gave Sanosuke a four-star slap across the face.

"You stupid, _stupid_ jerk!" Megumi yelled, clenching her fists as Sano began to laugh again. "How could you do that to me! Making me relive—_that_!"

His amusement fading a bit, Sanosuke smiled and asked, "So, you were actually worried about me?"

"Duh, you _bonehead_!" Megumi scowled. "Even though you're a procrastinating delinquent with rampaging hormones, you're still my friend. And, you scared me half to death—_again_!"

Sano was silent a moment, peering at the upset girl sitting next to him. Megumi leaned against the window, looking miserable. _Huh_, Sano thought, scooting closer to the foxy girl. _I _did_ really scare her, didn't I? _The image of little Megumi's face when Sano had swallowed that eraser seven years ago; her frightened features, her pretty wine-red eyes wide… If she had been a second late in telling Kamiya-san that Sano was choking, Sanosuke Sagara might not have been sitting there, seven years later, to think about it.

"Hmph," Sano mumbled, scooting even closer to Megumi. Considering to speak, Sanosuke paused when he saw something upon the bus floor. He bent down and picked it up, nudging Megumi politely and holding it out to her.

Megumi glanced over, surprised to find that Sanosuke was giving her _Chronicles of Narnia_ back; for she had dropped it in horror when Sano had pretended to choke. Mumbling thanks, Megumi took her book from his hands, and set it inside her pack.

She said nothing other. Sano sighed—Megumi was just as complicated when it came to apology as she was years ago, if not more. And Sano was just as bad as apologizing, something he desperately need to learn of how.

Daring to poke Megumi once more in the arm, Sanosuke wrinkled his nose at her when she turned her head to give him a glare. "Sorry," he growled, resenting Megumi for making him say the blasted word.

Knowing he was being honest—as she knew better than anyone of Sanosuke's anti-attitude towards decent manners—Megumi smiled and nodded. A silence passed between the two teens, until Megumi spoke. "You know, Sano, I don't think I've ever been more frightened in my life than when you choked that day."

Sanosuke didn't bother to interrupt. Megumi looked at him and continued, "I was so scared something might happen to you, and I'd never see you again to tell you I wasn't mad at you anymore."

Blushing a little, Sano asked with a short laugh, "What _were_ you mad about, anyways?"

"You called me an alien."

That certainly sounded like something Sanosuke would say. He grinned, laughing, "Well, I can definitely see of where exactly I got that from…you're weirder than you were then…"

"You're the one who eats erasers, and if I heard correctly, goldfish and chalk, too," Megumi shot back. When Sano only gave a completely unembarrassed shrug, she sighed and said, "You are such a moron. I don't know why I put up with you."

Grinning again, Sanosuke made sure to lean _really_ close to Megumi's face when he chanted, "It's 'cause you liiiiiiike meee…"

Megumi shoved him away, scowling again. "Oh, just go away. It's because of _you_ hanging all over me that I can never get a boyfriend."

"Ooh, snap," Sano teased, "you found me out! Now that you know, I might as well tell you that it was me who beat Yukishiro to a pulp when he wanted to ask you to the dance last week. And it was me who locked Himura in the dumpster yesterday. Oh yah, and I'm the one who put that poster of Kamatari in a bikini in Shinomori's locker…"

"Aoshi-kun and Kenshin-kun don't even like me!" Megumi yelped, blushing furiously. "Why in the world—"

"Yeah, I did that so they would know not to put a move on you even if they did," Sanosuke announced smugly. "Tho' I kinda feel bad for Himura… we had pancakes, syrup, and hash browns for lunch that day…"

"Yes, well, poor Aoshi-kun happened to be talking to Misao-chan when he opened his locker to find that monstrosity…" Megumi muttered, rubbing her temple. "What in the world were you doing with that ugly—?"

Sano smirked wide, laughing. "I made it on the computer… Shinomori probably liked it, anyways…"

"You be quiet!" Megumi shouted, giving him a slap on the arm.

"_No_," Sanosuke growled obnoxiously. "And why do you call Himura and Shinomori 'kun'? Why don't I get a 'kun'? Geez, for as long as we've been friends I'd think you'd at least call me 'Sanosuke-sama'… I've tried twice as hard as Shinomori and yet he has Misao clinging to his ankle and sama-ing the house down…"

"I'd kill myself before I called you 'sama'," Megumi muttered, but Sano heard her.

"You're awful to me," Sanosuke whined, leaning his head on Megumi's shoulder. "I try to be good to you, and protect you from prissy pretty-boys, but you _still_ ignore me and treat me like dirt…" Seeing Megumi's jaded expression, Sanosuke narrowed his eyes and growled, "It's Himura, isn't it? He's the one who's bothering you? Damn pansy; wait 'till I get a-hold a him…"

Megumi looked at the muttering boy propped up against her side, and snapped, "Don't you dare hurt Kenshin-kun again, Sanosuke! It was at least an hour before someone came and rescued the poor boy when you put him in the dumpster! And he didn't even do anything."

Sano was silent. "Well, he had lotsa lunch money…" he said at last.

"You took his _money_!" Megumi sighed, sliding down in her seat in hopelessness. Sanosuke remained resting on her shoulder, watching every expression cross Megumi's face with fascination. At last, Megumi looked over at him, and asked, "What am I going to do with you, Sano?"

She didn't have to wait long for his reply. "I won't tie Himura to the top of the gym rope if you'll be my girlfriend."

Megumi laughed, and Sano frowned at her. "Do you have to threaten me every time you want something?"

"I'll eat three cap erasers at the same time if you say no."

Megumi glared at him as Sano grinned happily. "You're a bad hamster," she muttered, and Sanosuke's gleeful expression turned into one of confusion.

"I've been compared to a lotta things, but I sure ain't no hamster," he growled, looking at Megumi curiously. He looked even more perplexed when Megumi laughed, and rested her head on Sano's own. Pleased, but still mystified, Sanosuke asked, "I don't get it."

"You wouldn't, anyways," Megumi smiled, catching sight of Soujirou Seta, who was now a senior, smiling in their direction.

_OWARI._

_MadiSano: _Ahaha...yeah...this isn't my best work, but I thought it had some cute moments and just the image of a flustered chibi Sano sitting next to little Megumi on the bus seemed so cute:) ...I am a basketcase. Darnit. Ah well, I thought this series could use a lighter change...there's not a oneshot in here without some form of angst or seriousness. This one was a lot lighter, and written REALLY casually. Not to mention it's under-detailed. So yah...please don't get mad. LOL!

Up next, I decided to write Crewel's request! WONDERFUL idea! She gave me an awesome idea! I like it a lot. Sano wants to ask Megumi to marry him, but he's too shy! I added the next part...so, he goes to Kenshin for help. (awkward silence) Sanosuke goes through Hell and back, trying to figure out how exactly to propose to the Fox and make it special for her; enduring Kenshin's play-acting and Tae's horrendous outfits, not to mention excessive research on romance that goes a little... awkward... Heh, since I posted a fic that I think could've been better, I'll update really soon on the next shot. To make up for it. Please review, only if you like what I've written...ack I feel lazy and undeserving. (slaps forehead)

PS: Lara, concerning your request...what do you mean by 'pleasant'? (giggles, fox ears sprout)


	11. Making Eternity

_Story Eleven: Making Eternity _

It was deep into the starry night at the Kamiya Dojo, and only two beings remained awake. Amid the shadows and moonlight graciously distributed by the clouds and bright moon, a small redhead and a lanky teenager sat upon the veranda.

The one bearing a sword, the redheaded man, looked up to the moon in simple, appreciative silence. This was the best friend the other man, Sanosuke, had come to know; solemn, strong, wise, fiercely protective, and yet wonderfully serene. The spiky-haired young man heaved a sigh, as he too looked up into the velvet sky.

Kenshin was waiting; Sanosuke realized this after a long period of expectant silence from the swordsman. Yes, Kenshin was most definitely awaiting Sano to say something…all day long; the boy had seemed unusually thoughtful. This could only mean one thing; that Sanosuke was about to make a decision so big even he had to considered the options and consequences before action.

Sanosuke played with the ends of his red bandanna that were flipped over his shoulders casually, unsure of how to pick his words. Continuing his fidgeting by itching the back of his neck, Sanosuke jutted out his bottom lip in frustration as he glared up at the moon.

Finally, Sano spoke. "Hey, Kenshin."

The small man looked over at his young friend, blinking amiably. "Yes, Sano?"

Taking a deep breath, Sanosuke did his best to keep a straight and manly face upon his features as he told Kenshin what he had been keeping inside for many weeks. "I think…. I think I'm gonna… I think I'll ask Megumi to…to….marry me…"

Of course, Kenshin didn't look surprised at all. Sometimes, that frustrated Sano, but this time he was glad that he didn't have to endure shocked exclamations and the classic yelp of "Oro!" that Kenshin usually offered. Instead, Sano's best friend nodded attentively, deep in thought.

"How are you doing to ask Megumi-dono this?" Kenshin inquired, looking up.

Sheepish, Sano smiled weakly and shrugged. "I dunno… I was thinkin' maybe I'd up'n'tell her I wanna…y'know. I mean, that's all there's to it, right?"

Kenshin gave the poor boy the most bizarre look Sano could have dreaded for a response. "'All there is to it'?" Kenshin repeated, thrown for a loop. "Sano, proposing to a woman is an expression of utter love and devotion for the rest of your _life_! Marriage is about becoming eternally linked forever. If you ask Megumi-dono this, you must make this special for her! After all, it is true that girls dream of marriage ever since they are small."

Sano gulped. Of course, things had to overcomplicated themselves and make life miserable for poor, wee little Sano. _Proposing_. The word echoed in his mind; it sounded like some sort of hideous surgery, equivalent to castration in Sano's mind.

Kenshin caught the frightened look on his friend's face, and chuckled. "Do not worry, Sano," the wanderer assured, "we all know you love Megumi-dono very much, and she'll appreciate whatever you do for her."

"Huh…yeah," Sano muttered, swallowing loudly once more. "It doesn't bother me much 'bout what I do; it's what I _don't_ do that worries me."

-

"Awright, Kenshin!" Sano barked at the wanderer, as they sat on the Dojo floor the next evening. The two men were surrounded by hills of books that they had collected, from everywhere and anywhere they could get their hands on. The books ranged from various topics, but they all had to do with courting and romance.

Pointing at Kenshin and nearly jabbing the redhead in the nose, Sano growled, "We're gonna read every single one o'these books and figger out how t'properly propose to a girl. Got it?"

"Oro…" Kenshin mumbled, looking nervous as he looked at the many novels. "Sano… I'm not sure this will help so much…"

"Sure it will!" Sano bellowed, looking proud. He picked up a nearby manuscript and shoved at the poor wanderer, nearly knocking him over. "Now, get reading! There's no time to waste."

_Ten minutes later… _

Kenshin looked up from his second book to find Sanosuke consumed in a novel, his brow furrowed. The cover was concealed by Sanosuke's knees, and so Kenshin crawled over to inspect the book Sano seemed so intent upon.

"ORO!" Kenshin fell backwards, his hair on the fritz and his eyes bugged out wide. Leaping back up with terror, he shouted, "Sano, what are you _reading_? If Megumi-dono finds out that you are—"

"Huh?" Sano looked up, only now noticing Kenshin and his trauma. Glancing back down at his rather mature book, he grinned back up at the wanderer and said, "It's no big deal… nothin' I haven't seen before."

Kenshin stared down at his nineteen-year-old buddy, looking halfway between disgusted and amazed. "Sano… another thing about marriage is that you must stay faithful to your wife, and not indulge yourself in other…things. Were Megumi-dono to find you reading things like that, she'd think you don't desire her anymore if you spend your time reading adult content!"

Sano scowled. "Nobody said I didn't desire her…but she won't let me do _anything_!" He then went into an entire speech of how Megumi stubbornly remained to keep abstinent, whining in his most pitiable voice. "I mean, it's freakin' _killing_ me—she doesn't understand that I'm a _man_ and I have _needs_…do you know how long it's been since I've been laid? _Well_?" He grabbed Kenshin by the collar and shook him rather violently. "It's been three WEEKS! THREE WEEKS! And that's only 'cause I mas—"

Kenshin pushed his sex-starved friend away, cutting off Sano's tantrum. "I think it is very mature of Megumi-dono to keep herself pure for marriage, that I do!" said he. "And if you truly love her, Sano, you will respect her choice, too."

He pouted. "I do…I do respect her choice, 'cause I haven't bugged her about it for three weeks…three weeks…three weeks…three weeks…" He chanted, dazed.

Kenshin covered his eyes with his hands, looking hopeless. "This one has gone for fourteen years, that he has."

"FOURTEEN YEARS?" Sano looked ready to pass out. "I—I can't do that! Megumi expects me to—to—aw, jeez, NO!" He folded his arms and glared at Kenshin stubbornly, internally blaming the poor redhead for his frustration concerning the whole proposing issue.

Kenshin sighed. Only Sano. Smiling, Kenshin offered, "Well, there must be something besides research that we can do to help you." After careful, thoughtful, and sometimes irritable discussion, the two pals decided on their next move.

-

"You want me to _what_?" Kaoru growled, looking incredulous.

Yes, it's true. They went to Kaoru for help. She was the nearest female, and not to mention Megumi's best friend and younger sister figure. Explaining the matter to her, Kenshin implored that Kaoru would help Sano act things out, so he could have a better feel on what to do when the real thing came about.

"We want you to pretend to be Megumi-dono," Kenshin repeated, "so that Sano can practice proposing to her!"

Sano looked just as _absolutely thrilled_ as Kaoru. He glowered at the closest tree like it had just magically transformed into a particular yellow-eyed, nicotine-worshipping cop that Sanosuke would just love to mangle right about now. Of all of Kenshin's ideas, why did playing pretend with Kaoru have to be one of them?

"I don't think so, Kenshin," Kaoru said, blushing. "I—I mean, well…it's Sano…"

"Yeah, Kenshin, it's _Sano_," Sanosuke growled furiously. The two continued to protest and refuse Kenshin's begging, until it became obvious Kenshin wasn't going to release the matter. So they both agreed, to try it once.

Kenshin played director, watching the two and their progress. Kaoru let her hair down from its ribbon, so that it hung down her back somewhat like the Foxy Doc's. She sat near the well, pretending to be filling out paperwork at the Clinic. Sanosuke waited impatiently from afar, scuffling his heels in the dirt.

Finally, Kenshin told them to begin. Sanosuke stiffly walked towards Kaoru, trying to remain emotionless, carefree and sure of himself; Sano tried to imagine this being the real thing, a do or die situation. He replaced his surroundings with that of the Oguni Clinic, and instead of Kamiya Kaoru, there at the desk sat Takani Megumi.

'Megumi' looked up at him, and scowled. "What is it now, Rooster?" she said, in a voice that really didn't sound like Megumi at all; briefly bringing Sano out of his trance as he remembered that it was Kaoru.

He threw away that, hoping to get the hang of this proposing stuff so that he could get it over with. "Um…" Sano anxiously searched for words. "F-Fox… I wanted to talk to you…"

"I'm busy. Now, go away, before I call upon my minions to devour your soul," 'Megumi' snapped, looking down at her paperwork.

Sano blinked out of his dream land, scowling at Kaoru, who was busy pretending to write strangely large kanji in midair. "_Missy_! Megumi wouldn't say that!"

Kaoru bared her teeth, talking in that voice that was an attempt of Megumi's, but a rather poor one. "Don't talk to me that way, mortal! I can say whatever I want. Now go, before the underworld swallows you."

"_Kenshin_!" Sano growled, turning to the exasperated redhead as he pointed accusingly at Kaoru. "She's _ruining_ it!"

Sighing, Kenshin decided this plan wouldn't work out so well, either.

-

"Well," Kenshin huffed, as he and Sanosuke walked down the busy streets of downtown Tokyo. "We're not having too much luck with the whole acting business, so why don't we focus on another department? After all, you need to look nice for Megumi when you ask her to marry you."

Sano sighed, looking miserable already. "And… just _where_ are we going…?"

"We're going to see Tae at the Akabeko," Kenshin said happily.

"WHAT!"

_At the Akabeko… _

Tae was overjoyed to hear the news of Sano's impending proposal, and happily agreed to assist him. While on break, she, Kenshin, and Sano visited a nice shop full of clothing. Tae raced about the store, picking out items of clothing so quickly that neither of the men could tell exactly what she picked.

"Here!" Tae said gleefully, handing Sano an outfit. "I like this one the best. Go and change into it, and come out when you're done!"

Feeling a little nervous, Sano clutched the clothing, took a backwards glance at Kenshin, and then entered the dressing area. It was a minute or so before Sanosuke called out, after the soft rustle of clothing. "Hey, Tae…"

"Are you done?" asked Tae.

"….yes."

Tae frowned. "Come out, then!"

"….no."

Looking displeased, Tae put her hands on her hips and demanded, "Why not?"

"…'cause I look funny."

After a bit of coaxing and warm persuasion, Kenshin and Tae managed to get Sano to open the door and step out. Tae squealed with joy, while Kenshin simply blinked in disturbed surprise. It turned out that Tae had outfitted poor Sanosuke in a baggy, forest green outfit that made him look more like a chibi plush doll than anything. He hugged himself self-consciously at Tae ooh-ed and aah-ed over his—well, truthfully—strangely cute appearance.

"You look wonderful, Sanosuke-san!" Tae yipped, clapping her hands.

"I do not," Sano grumbled unhappily. "I look like a…a…stuffed animal…"

Kenshin scratched the back of his thick red hair, chuckling slightly. "Well, I have to say that Sano most certainly does look a bit different than what we're used to!"

Throwing a deadly glare at the redhead, Sanosuke snarled, "I look like a flipping panda drowned in green paint! How is that defined as 'a bit different'!" Sanosuke attempted to storm back inside the dressing room, but Tae caught him by the arm and tried to hold him back.

"I hate this! I want it off me!" Sano yelled, as Kenshin assisted Tae in dragging him into the main room, out into the open. "No! No! NO! Leggo o'me! You can't make me—"

_Thump_. Tae and Kenshin dropped Sanosuke to the floor as a dozen young girls or so came scampering over at the sight of the adorable Sanosuke, touching his hair and his face, tugging on his clothes, and squealing of how cute the poor boy was.

"Getawaygetawaygetawaygetaway!" Sanosuke yelled, fleeing from the grasp of the crowd and back into the dressing room, where he changed at light-speed and fled the shop in terror, leaving behind a mystified Tae and an oro-ing Kenshin.

-

Sanosuke ran, and ran, ran, ran. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, not caring where they took him as long as it was as far away from that blasted shop and crazy bunch of women. Pumping his legs with renewed strength at the memory of that horrid outfit, Sano zoomed down the lane like a streak of lightening.

He found himself panting, slumped against the Oguni Clinic door, minutes later. He took in a deep breath, drew up his knees to his chest, and rested his chin upon them. And he sighed. _I'm hopeless_, Sanosuke thought, biting his lip. _I'll never be able to propose to Megumi like this! I don't know what to do…_

Abruptly, the door opened. Sanosuke tumbled backwards with a surprised yelp, landing on the shoes of an astonished doctor. He looked up sheepishly, to find Megumi's ironic gaze smirking down at him.

"Oi," Sano mumbled, grinning shyly as he sat up, and got to his feet.

Megumi watched him curiously as Sanosuke shoved his hands in his pockets and fidgeted. "Well, is something wrong? You're covered in sweat, and your breathing irregular; so you must have been running."

"Yeah…" Sanosuke murmured, shrugging and trying to play cool.

Megumi frowned at her boyfriend, who was acting odder than he usually did. Lifting a hand and checking his temperature, Megumi found nothing, and slid her palm to cup Sano's cheek in worry. "You've been stressing out, haven't you? Over what?"

Before he could even open his mouth, Megumi had released his face and seized his wrist, dragging him along into the Clinic. "Never mind, I should probably check your hand. You can tell me about it then."

Sanosuke gulped as they set down together, so that Megumi could inspect his bandaged right hand. She went about her usual treatment, humming softly as Megumi did so. After a bit, she set down Sano's hand and looked up. "Well?"

"Ah…um…" _Here's my chance_, Sano thought. A feeling of ugly dread coiled up inside, as he opened his mouth to speak. "M-M-Megumi…I w-was wondering, i-if you might wanna… if you want to…" Sanosuke's jaw froze as Megumi met his eyes, confused. His throat went dry, and Sano finished hoarsely, "…never mind."

"Sano?" Megumi frowned again, reaching out and brushing some of the bangs in his face aside gently. He shivered, Sanosuke's thoughts racing a million miles an hour as he realized he'd let the opportune moment flee. "Sanosuke, what is it?"

His hands shook as he folded and unfolded them in his lap, twisting an interlocking his fingers as his palms sweated frantically. "Ah—um, I m-mean, uh…" Shivering, Sanosuke squeaked, "…d'you mind taking a walk with me?"

Megumi blinked in surprise, but nodded. "Sure, Sanosuke." Standing with him, Megumi noted that his hands were trembling and his face was pale beneath the fiery blush spread across his cheeks. _What's bothering him so?_ she wondered, looking worried.

Slipping her fingers in a crisscrossed fashion with Sano's, Megumi hoped this would be a comforting gesture to him as they exited the Clinic. They walked in silence, down the street together until they came upon a leafy path. The trees overhung them, wreathing the two in chords of shadow and sunlight that sparkled and leapt down in waves on the path between the branches. Birds offered their song to the skies, taking flight occasionally to meld their voices with the gentle wind.

Megumi looked at Sano again, to find him deep in thought and still as nervous; she felt his hand sweat and tremble against her own. She blinked, concerned as she parted her lips to speak to him.

Instead, she let out a small yelp when Sanosuke suddenly turned and put his arms around her tight, crushing her against him in a desperate hug. He buried his face in her neck, drowning in her scent and listening to the music of her breathing. "Meg…" he whispered, shaking.

Megumi gently put her arms around Sanosuke in return, slipping her fingers into the nape of his thick spiky hair, as she awaited him to continue. It confused and worried her to see Sanosuke so frightened and worried; was something wrong? There must be something wrong…Sanosuke had avoided her for a day and a half. It was lonely for Megumi during that time; she was so accustomed to his little visits and Sanosuke's assuring presence; she loved the feel of his arms around her, and silently accepted the moment as Sanosuke held her now.

He whispered her name again, Sano's voice low and trembling with both worry and eagerness. "Megumi…I…I'm sorry that I…I mean, well…I wanted t'ask…you to…" Megumi remained quiet as Sanosuke's embrace grew tighter, drawing her against him as he continued in a sudden outburst. "Megumi, I know I'm not exactly—I mean, I know I'm… I know I don't deserve to—to ask you this, but I…I really want…it's just that I love you so much, and I really wanna be with you for as long as I live! A-And, I've been tryin' hard to figure out how t'say this and how to ask you, but I don't know how to make it good enough…I want to, but I don't have much else to give you but what I feel… and I wanna know, 'cause I can't keep it inside anymore—will you…"

Shivering, Sanosuke removed his face from Megumi's shoulder and looked up with frightened but hopeful chocolate eyes. "W-Will you…marry me?"

Megumi's eyes widened in complete astonishment, her scarlet lips parted in a gasp. Sano gazed back, looking just as anxious. Time froze into silver, priceless moments as the two looked at one another with unexplainable emotion.

Tears flooded to Megumi's magenta eyes, as Sano's question registered in her thoughts. Sanosuke watched this in frightened confusion, praying frantically inside that this didn't mean rejection. He had tried so hard to get to this place, this silver white place that captured only two people in its boundaries, the place that one could only truly reach once in his life—

"S-Sanosuke," Megumi sobbed, unable to hold herself back as thick tears ran down her face. She hugged her love tight, pulling him near so she could kiss him deeply, running her fingers through his hair with delight. "Sano, yes…yes, I will…"

Sano nearly began to cry, too. He did it! He did it! Sagara Sanosuke _actually_ managed to successfully propose to his Fox, with a pleasing result. Sanosuke held her near again, pressing his lips to hers once more as the silver place burst into life, and light danced back and forth along the leafy path when the wind shook the trees, the blue sky above wreathing the blazing sun in its heavenly ocean.

Crouched behind a tree, Kenshin, Kaoru, and Tae met eyes and grinned wide. He had done it! Sanosuke had learned and grown in this, and now his reward came in this wonderful form of an everlasting love. Megumi had taken the next step with him, and now they were on their way to an unbreakable vow.

"You think they'll make it?" Kaoru whispered with a warm smile.

Kenshin smiled back, sighing. "Yes. I think Sanosuke will treat Megumi with all his love, and will make her a very happy woman, that I do." Beckoning for Kaoru and Tae to follow him and flee the scene before the two lovers noticed, he chuckled and whispered, "After all, 'I love you' is easy to say when you care for someone, but only 'I do' _really_ makes eternity."

_OWARI._

_MadiSano: _Yay! All thanks to Crewel, who gave me this wonderful idea. I liked writing this one a lot! And I thank you all for your excessive support since the last chapter; I feel really good about myself now! I guess my casual work last time was another aspect to be explored, then. And by the way, before anyone asks, I don't hate Naruto or Yu Yu Hakusho or (bites tongue for lying) _Dragon Ball Z_...ahem, LOL, I just thought it'd be like Megumi to trash them.

Up next is a really evil fic, one that contains Sano-Torture! Only this time, it's not physical. It's emotional. Even worse. I know. Waah. LOL! XD The plot is this, suggested a while ago by SanoDevil: After starting a great day, with unusual luck and cheerful occurences, Sanosuke's good time comes crashing down when he visits the Oguni Clinic to get his hand checked. The reason...? He opens up the front door to walk in on another patient kissing Megumi :o OH NO! Is this a misunderstanding or is our Fox giving up on our baby Rooster? And upon seeing this, how will our Sano go on, especially being the lovesick birdie he is? I guess you'll see. But only if you review! LOL I'm evil, sorry. :) Don't hate me. Ja!


	12. No One Else

_Story Twelve: No One Else _

It was a good day. No—it was a _great_ day in the life of Sagara Sanosuke, ex-Sekihoutai cadet and current freeloading, ne'er-do-well teenager. Kenshin had made a smashing lunch, Sanosuke actually won a game of dice, and after assisting a foreign woman with some thugs (it was quite a fun fight, too) she offered him free Western ice-cream. Of course, the man with the bottomless stomach had devoured the entire thing, only to find that he had to take off the wrapper in order to eat the cone. Unfortunately he had already swallowed a mouthful of the paper, but he didn't mind so much.

Sanosuke hummed as he walked, kicking an empty bento box as he strolled his way to the Oguni Clinic. _Nothing_ could destroy his mood now—Sano was as happy as a peach, which was quite an odd comparison if you think about it.

To make things better, Sanosuke was going to see his Foxy Lady, Megumi. Teasing her and watching her beautiful face contort in exasperation was a weekly leisure, and surely it would be no different this time. It was a great day!

Grinning happily, Sanosuke made his way up to the Clinic door, pushing it open casually with his forearm. About to rudely shout out for Megumi, his words were choked and mangled in his throat when he stepped inside.

It had been too good to last. Of course, Sano would have a brilliant day, only for it to end the worst way possible. No. _No_. No. _No_. No. Sanosuke's jaw worked, his lips making no sound as they parted in horror, his toffee eyes wide in shock.

Megumi was kissing him. That man. Right there. Right in the middle of the Clinic. _Kissing_ one of her patients. She had her hands on the man's shoulders; the latter's digits gripping her waist, feeling her through the cloth. Sano's breathing writhed in his lungs, and a low choking noise strangled his voice as a feral, guttural growl snuck its way into the frightened silence. Megumi broke away from the man, catching sight of Sanosuke. "Sano—" she cried, and the man turned to glower at the stammering teen.

"…ah…ah…" Sanosuke stuttered, his fists clenching at his sides. His feet were frozen in place, refusing to charge at the man to beat the intestines out of him. Instead, they turned in place and dashed out of the Oguni Clinic.

He refused to turn around, despite Megumi's frantic calls, and Sanosuke ran at his full limit. Down the road he dashed, his heart shattering—he had seen Megumi, whom he secretly but fervently admired; just the sight of the smirking Fox sent his heart skipping…he had seen her paying affection to another. He had been practically sucking her face off! What had Sano done this time to deserve this!

Sanosuke huffed and jumped a fence, uncaring that he had nearly stepped on an unsuspecting feline that was sent yowling. He fled across town, a streak of white as he sprinted through the crowd until he came to his community in the red-light district.

Passing his neighbor's apartments, he quickly slid open his own and raced inside, ignoring the stares from the onlookers. He burst through his curtains and let himself drop, panting, on his futon.

As he lay facedown, all of his emotions came clashing, like a giant wave. He rested his cheek on his forearms, trying to capture his breath as the horrifying memories of Megumi with that man surged in from all corners. Everything he looked at reminded him—_everything_! The color of his futon, a sheer black with a few stains matched the black gi of the snake that had been with Sano's Fox—a-and that red wrist wrap Sano always wore on his forearm was the exact hue of Megumi's ruby lips when she… in horror Sanosuke got to his knees, ripping the cloth savagely from his wrist and throwing it aside, collapsing thereafter upon his futon in tremors.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God!" Why was this affecting him so? Since when was Sagara Sanosuke so emotionally unstable and prone to heartbrokenness when his loyalty was betrayed? Oh yes, only about ten years ago when, as an innocent youth, he saw his friends blasted to bits of bloody flesh by the Imperialists, and his father figure executed and humiliated publicly like a Godforsaken criminal.

Kenshin held Sano's trust. The redhead had helped to smooth over the wrinkles in Sano's outlook on life, giving Sanosuke an elder brother figure that never let him down. Kenshin always remained strong, and…well, beat the crap out of Sano when he needed it. But Kenshin didn't own the trust and loyalty like Sanosuke secretly bestowed upon Megumi. Oh, no—never would anyone sooth the itching wounds in the chambers of Sano's heart like Megumi could. She hadn't tried yet, but Sano knew that somehow she could, she could—if she would only _try_.

It was like the Sekihoutai all over again, only in a different sense. Megumi wasn't dead. But she was unreachable. Claimed. Not his. Not Sano's. Someone else had his Fox. The Fox Sanosuke was so sure he'd leash one day. Gone.

Sanosuke's chest heaved, his breathing slowing down at last. He swallowed back the tense feeling that he was sure would bring tears; he wouldn't cry. Oh, no. Not Sano. Sanosuke wouldn't cry, not over this—he cried enough over the Sekihoutai, and now he was all cried out. He wouldn't dishonor his manhood by bursting into sobs over the broken loyalty…over a woman. No.

_I wonder what it felt like._ Sanosuke took a shuddering breath as his thoughts entered a weirdly shocked and calm stage. _I wonder what it felt like to hold her like that. To feel her love me, like I want to love her…I wonder what it felt like. Maybe Megumi's better off with that guy…_

_THOCK_. "Damn." Sanosuke retrieved the fist he had plunged into his futon, cursing himself for thinking like that. The scene in the Clinic revived itself again and again in Sano's mind, painting the scene with steely strokes into his eyes, into his mind, and into his heart. Could he survive this? _Hell no_, Sanosuke resolved. Could he find closure? _No_. Could he get that woman out of his mind for good? _Noooooooo._

The poor boy was a lovesick puppy and he sometimes felt good about it, too. But now he hated himself for it. Why lovesick? Why not just a crush? Something like a crush would hurt, but it wouldn't drive him insane like this. Why did Sanosuke have to go so deep into his soul and love her so much that it made him lay awake every night, thinking about her long black hair and untamed wine-red eyes? Why did Sano dream about her every night, wishing to the ceiling that he was with her now? Why did Sano give her such aching looks when he knew she wasn't looking, praying that she would catch him in the act and question him. Listen to him. Maybe even accept him.

But it never happened. Nothing ever did. He was as ignored as an amateur artist; Sanosuke felt his heart rend in two all over again as he realized this. His attempts were futile, his smiles empty, his gestures overlooked, his words unheard in the eyes and ears of Takani Megumi.

And it _hurt_.

-

_SLAP! _

"Get away from me!" Megumi shouted at her stunned patient, who held his face with an uninjured hand. Megumi had tears in her eyes, realizing just what had taken place seconds before, when Sanosuke had walked in on her patient grabbing her by surprise and kissing her without permission. To balance herself and prevent her from falling, Megumi had shoved her hands onto his shoulders, still frozen by horrified shock.

"Geez, woman…" the man snarled, and was about to go on, when Megumi pointed to the door.

"You're finished," she said in a dead voice with eyes to match, "now get out."

Grumbling, the man stood and walked across the room, and left the Oguni Clinic. Megumi watched him go, her breathing uneven and her eyes filled now with rage and desperate worry. The hurt, the shock, the anger, and the fright on Sanosuke's beautiful features had grasped Megumi's heart with a chilling vice…

_He's upset_, Megumi realized, slumping to her knees on the floor as she held herself tight. _He's angry. But…it's not my fault…_ Slapping her open palm on the wooden floor as thought to punish it, Megumi grit her teeth and stared down at the wood with utter rage. _I had it going. I had Sano going. I was close to telling him; maybe I would have told him tonight that I cared for him… I've been planning and strategizing for a week, hoping for the positive outcome, and yet this had to happen! _

Her hand closed into a fist. Kaoru had told her before, not too long ago, that Sanosuke was harboring feelings for Megumi that were obvious to everyone but Megumi herself. "The way he looks at you when your back is turned," Kaoru had said, "it's like reading a book, Megumi! I think he really cares for you. He's never looked at anyone like that before."

And Megumi wanted that. She wanted Sano to care for and look at her like he had no one before; Megumi _wanted_ that more than she did her job. And that one moment, that one moment when that stupid man had to take advantage of her and kiss her; Sanosuke just had to barge in. He just had to.

Megumi was never a lucky one. She went through terrors unnamed, surviving the depths of Hell by clinging to chains of opium, to be miraculously saved by a brown-eyed angel whom she loved, secretly, very much. And it seemed so right to love him! How could such a thing go so horribly wrong?

-

Sanosuke had risen from his trance, finally dragging himself tooth and nail off of his futon. Unsteadily and with insecurity he took the steps to the door, allowing moonlight to pour into his apartment. He didn't realize that he had lay awake half of the night, staring at the ceiling and questioning his heart, mind, soul, and capability to really live. He hadn't come to any satisfactory conclusion. And in times and places like those in the life of Sagara Sanosuke, there was one thing that he was accustomed to do.

Drink. He made his miserable way to the nearest tavern; his eyes dark and filled with pain as he slid open the front door to enter the bar. No one paid him much attention, though a few shady characters turned and whispered, "_Kenkaya_ Zanza," to another, but that was usual—and Sano didn't care and couldn't care even if it wasn't.

He slid into a seat, and ordered _sake_. When it was brought to him, Sanosuke downed it easily in minutes, letting the alcohol take affect in his system. Trying to make the images go away…maybe he'd allow himself to get so particularly wasted Megumi would be erased from his mind forever. Again and again he ordered more, and more, and more; until he collapsed against the counter, drawing up his arms to hide his flushed face. His plan didn't work, at all. The more _sake_ Sanosuke drank, the more and more fervent Megumi's lovely image slipped into his mind, her voice echoing inside his ears, her smell of crisp lavender ravaging his nose.

He almost wanted to cry; how to make this go away! Was he so impossibly in love with this woman that Sagara Sanosuke was doomed forever to be a walking, talking case of a lovesick creature that does nothing but sulk and languish in his lovelorn state?

Why couldn't he just disappear? Melt away, alone, forgotten, floating in an endless void without feeling or injury? Why? Sanosuke squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face clumsily deeper into his folded arms, remaining in his defeated state until he felt a light touch on his shoulder.

Sano wanted it to be her. Megumi. He wanted to see her hovering over him, come to his rescue, but no…Megumi wouldn't endanger herself like that, not in his neighborhood. She wouldn't come here, not for him. Instead, a different woman stood over Sanosuke, smiling slickly down at him with an expression like that of a cat that had just captured an injured mouse in its claws.

"Hey, there," she purred, sliding next to Sanosuke and letting her hand slip over his shoulder and onto his chest. Sano stared back at her obliviously, blinking like a confused child; but a definite shiver ran through him at the feel of the woman's fingernails scraping lightly over his bare skin.

The stranger smiled wide, lifting herself onto her knees and letting herself drape like a coat over his shoulders, a hand still petting Sano's torso rhythmically. Nuzzling Sanosuke's hypnotized, dazed features, she growled softly, "You look kinda lonely, big boy…"

Feeling his body react to this in ways he fuzzily knew should not, Sanosuke frowned slightly as he tried to figure out what precisely was wrong with this situation, especially when such things felt good enough. He was quickly brought to light when he felt those whispering lips brush against his ear, something wet gliding over the rim.

Sanosuke had never fled so fast. Maybe these things _did_ feel nice, and maybe in a different situation he'd hang around for a little longer; but even in his intoxication he knew that this _wasn't_ right. He didn't want to feel these things, unless it was _Megumi_ who was doing them. His body was willing him in one direction, and his heart the other; but amid his confusion and fright Sanosuke felt one clear message run through his head, and it was this: **_RUN_**.

So he did.

-

Sano managed to make it home, stumbling to his door and nearly knocking it down when he tripped and caught himself clumsily against it. Taking a deep breath he slid it open, creeping inside of his apartment.

His eyes widened in shock, as his alcohol-ridden brain took in the sight before him. Someone had cleaned his house, and quite well, too. The floors had been scrubbed and swept, his clothes washed and neatly folded, the food remains the used to be scattered about missing. Curious amid his inebriated state, Sano wandered over deeper into his apartment, drawing back the washed curtains about his futon and looking down upon the being sleeping in his bed.

Sanosuke's heartbeat quickened. There she was. Lying on her back, her silken hair spread out behind her like a raven fan, sparkling in the lamplight and trailing off the ends of the futon. A long-fingered hand was loosely clenched over her heart and the other slipping limply over the edge of the bed. Sano blinked tiredly, his eyes trailing down the soft curves of her figure as Megumi lay sleeping, completely unaware of his presence.

Unsure of what to do, Sano stood there dumbly and simply stared down at the woman who had broken into his home, cleaned it, and now lay asleep in his own bed. There was something very intriguing about this situation, and Sanosuke wasn't sure of quite how to explain it; but he couldn't anyways as his eyes clouded in heartache. His soul gasped inside of him, urging him to back away or feel that burning anger and pain of betrayal once more.

"Ughn…" Sano stepped backwards, unable to take the tension. He stumbled due to his intoxication, and fell backwards onto his behind, in a rather ungraceful manner.

Megumi stirred due to the clatter, and opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times to find a very agitated and frightened Sanosuke sprawled out a few feet away. She sat up immediately, looking at the boy with a mixture of worry and relief. "Sanosuke—"

"Don' touch me…" Sano growled, and then Megumi realized he was under the influence of alcohol. Her fingers flexed nervously, as she gazed at Sanosuke with anxiety. He looked back through half-lidded eyes, blinking in frustration. "Wha' you doin' here?"

Megumi clenched her fists over her chest, replying, "Sano, I…I came here to explain to you about what you saw…"

Scowling, Sanosuke grumbled, "You w'kissing 'im…"

Looking at him in denial, Megumi stammered, "S-Sano, I was not intentionally kissing that patient…he caught me by surprise, and kissed me without my consent. Please don't be angry, I know you are, and I feel the same way."

He looked at her, hard. Trying to understand her, trying to comprehend the explanation Megumi gave to him. Sanosuke frowned, cocking his head as he tried to grasp everything, the entire situation. "Y'mean, he ain't yer…boyfriend?" Sano asked, mystified.

"I have better taste than that, Sano," Megumi said sharply, watching as Sanosuke's bleary eyes traveled down her form to settle on her legs.

"Bet y'do…" Sano murmured, a brighter flush than that of drunkenness coming to his face. Were he not drunk, Megumi would have slapped him to Kyoto, to Yokohama, and back to Tokyo again for being so vulgar.

Folding her hands over her lap, Megumi looked at Sanosuke nervously. "Sano…" she whispered, causing the latter to look up curiously. "I don't…" She wanted to continue, and tell him what she truly felt; but she was afraid of his reaction to her confession when he was as drunk as anything worth comparing excessive intoxication.

"Uh?" Sano muttered, blinking.

"I…I…" Megumi suddenly scowled; no! She would not let this chance escape. Standing, she demanded, "Sanosuke, come with me for a moment!"

The boy blinked inquisitively, and clumsily stood up along with the Fox. She took his hand, leading him to the nearest bathhouse. Judging by the anticipating, scheming look on Sanosuke's face, he had other intentions on his mind than what Megumi had. But there was no holding back his complete shock when, suddenly, Megumi grabbed the back of his hair and forced Sano's head over the edge of the bath and under water.

Before his drunken mind could counter, Megumi pulled his other arm behind the small of his back, so Sanosuke had no option but to take whatever Megumi forced him to do. She pulled his sputtering face out of the cold bathwater, ignoring his enraged curses and dunking him under once more. This went on for some time, until Megumi was quite sure the alcohol had been completely extracted from Sanosuke's system.

"Wha-wh-what in the Hell was that for?" Sanosuke growled, his teeth chattering, and his soaked hair flopping around in odd angles. Megumi studied him carefully, smiling in satisfaction at the completely sober Sano shivering before her.

He continued to grumble, demanding an answer as to why Megumi would unexplainably try to drown him repeatedly over and over like that, scaring the -insert naughty language here- out of him. Megumi continued to smile wide at him, and took advantage of the moment when Sanosuke paused to gasp for breath.

Megumi's hands came up to hold either side of Sanosuke's face, her thumbs resting gently against the skin just above the ends of his eyebrows and massaging them lightly as she pulled him to her in a soft kiss.

He felt his irritation melt along with the chill resting on his skin, replaced by warmth as Sanosuke felt the soft pads of Megumi's fingers rubbing away the insistent headache growing in his head. The feel of her so near, her mouth fitting unimaginably and wonderfully snug against his—like the pieces of a long-unsolved puzzle they joined and danced with an unmistakable message that read 'Stay with me.'

Sanosuke's eager fingers flew around to wrap around Megumi's waist, pulling her near and making sure she was as close to him as possible. He parted momentarily to breathe, only to return his mouth to crush against Megumi's again with ardor.

Afraid he might be getting a little too stimulated; Megumi placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed Sanosuke gently away, causing him to reluctantly break the kiss. In reply to his confused stare, Megumi whispered, "I didn't want to tell you this when you were drunk, because I wanted you to remember every word I say and every look I give when I told you that I love no one else but you."

He stared at her. It really _had_ been an accident, a mess-up, a dirty ploy pulled by fate just to make poor Sano and Megumi miserable. Megumi was not taken. Megumi was not unreachable. In fact, she had just handed herself to Sano, and now she was his. She loved no one else but Sano. "No one else," he breathed, unsure whether this was real.

"_No_ _one_ else," Megumi promised, pulling Sanosuke into a tight hug. Sanosuke remembered his wonderings from earlier, of what it would be like to hold and love and be loved by the Fox Lady; and now he had it. He _had_ those feelings, he _had_ that love, and he was now able to express himself—he was _in_ love with Takani Megumi, and no one else.

"No one else," Sanosuke whispered into her hair, closing his eyes and allowing his lips to spread in a wide, wide, enthralled grin that shook his soul. He squeezed Megumi against him, drawing his arms tight around her and nearly lifting her off the floor as he held her happily, ready to shout for the entire world to know that he was no longer just a lovesick puppy.

"I love my Foxy, and no one else," Sanosuke chanted, and Megumi laughed as he continued the mantra, slipping an arm under her legs and carrying her out of the bathhouse bridal-style, practically bouncing down the steps and back to his apartment. "I love my Foxy, and no one else! I love my Foxy, and no one else!"

"I love my moron, and no one else," Megumi teased.

"I love my Megitsune, and no one else!" sang Sano, undeterred.

Megumi laughed again, countering, "I love my Rooster, and no one else!"

"I love my Fox, and NO ONE ELSE!"

_OWARI._

_MadiSano: _...I've decided to stop writing SM fics and instead write KK fics. I hereby declare I am never again to write SM pairing and all of my fics that are in progress containing the pairing are hereby discontinued. Boo hoo for you.

(Grins) Don't tell me you took me seriously. LOL! Sorry about that, for some reason I had the urge to be mean. I'm a mean person! ...not really...but oh well...Anyways, enough of my evilness! I hope you enjoyed reading this update; I know it took me longer than usual! But for some reason the style seemed a little...weird...I can't quite figure out why, but if you can point out something, tell me because I'm a little lost! LOL! This fiction was requested by Sanodevil! All thanks to the beloved reviewer, people! ;) By the way, I got up at 7:30 in the morningand nowit's 2:50 at night, and I'm surviving by drinking Mt. Dew as refreshment if you're wondering what's up with my...happiness, if you can call it that. :D

UP NEXT IS... I...don't...know? LOL. I'm trying to figure out what fic to post next; you've all given me such great ideas! Hmm...guess I should ask...Lara, about your SM marriage request, is it okay if it's an AU? Kind of like a prince vs princess thing, or something? (thinks of flying sparks) Heh. And MissTeak...Rev&Res will be updated...soon...sorta soon... maybe... kinda later... uhh...SOMETIME! Yeah. LOL! XD Please review! (Do and recieve...a bowl of ramen! Yay!) See ya, and thanks!


	13. Into The West

_Story Thirteen: Into the West _

She held him tight; his wet, sopping figure drenched by the rain. Four years had passed like singularly dropping grains of sand, slowly and painfully in the heart and soul of Megumi's being without her missed love. But that night, accompanied by the rolling peals of thunder and the talons of lightening illuminating the sky; he had returned to her.

Just as she had been securing the door to her home in Aizu, to call it a night; she had heard a faint knock from the other side. Hesitantly, frightened, Megumi braced herself and slowly slid open the front door. Seconds later, it was thrown open with disbelief as a tall, familiar figure basically lunged to her and seized her in embrace.

He was so wet. The rain outside and years of travel had definitely taken a toll on Sanosuke's health; scars anew ran like strokes of ink beneath Megumi's questing fingers, and his usually smooth chin pricked against her hair with a short, auburn stubble. Sano's hair had grown amazingly, Megumi noted as her fingers found an unruly lock of brown hair that lay limply over Sanosuke's right shoulder.

"Ah, Meg…I'm home," he breathed, holding Megumi tighter than before. Not that she minded. Despite the fact her Rooster was travel-worn, sopping wet, and in serious need of proper grooming; he was still as gorgeous and intriguing as he had been as a freeloading, scruffy, whining, rogue teenager.

Megumi removed her arms from his waist and shoulder, raising her trembling fingers to hold his face, looking into the one familiar thing about this man besides the trademark bandanna and shoes. His eyes. His bright, mischievous chocolate orbs that grinned down at her with a familiar feel. "I missed you so much," she whispered, before gently kissing his lips.

"I missed you more," he bickered softly, smiling wide and kissing her again before she could reply. Megumi let her flame of protest wither as she reached up to pull him closer; years of loneliness, fear, and worry melting away as she assuaged into his arms.

_Lay down  
Your sweet and weary head…  
Night is falling;  
You've come to journey's end.  
Sleep now,  
And dream of the ones who came before…  
They are calling,  
From across the distant shore. _

He thought she'd be angry. He thought she'd scream at him. Sanosuke never imagined Megumi would accept his return so…_easily_, so happily and without complaint! It was quite something…no, _she_ was quite something. Years of loneliness had not aged her appearance at all, but Megumi's eyes…they were so much calmer, and less enthusiastic than what he remembered…

And then it hit him of why, and relief seeped through Sanosuke as he whispered into her ear, "You're tired." He felt her shift against him sleepily, her soft cheek rubbing against his collarbone. He smiled at the feel, letting his head recline on Megumi's with a sigh. "C'mon, _Kitsune_…I'll take ya."

His arms, twice as thick with muscle as Megumi remembered, came to sweep her off her feet with almost ridiculous ease so that he could carry her down the hall. Megumi didn't argue, she was happy and content with anything; her Rooster was home.

Time had a funny affect upon their relationship. Instead of hatred, and the bitter feel of betrayal, the four years of independence had dawned upon their horizon of just how much they could miss someone they loved.

Megumi remembered the night that Sano had admitted to her that he had to leave soon, and that he could not take Megumi to where he was going. How upset she became; she had screamed at him, crying in frustration; everyone she truly loved had always ended up leaving her. It hurt, hurt like no pain Megumi had dared to feel before…it made her feel ignored, and angry.

But he left. He had to. Amid Megumi's sobbing that one night, four years ago, he had stood silently, shamefaced for causing his love so much heartache. _"I'm sorry, Megumi…"_ he had whispered. _"I'm sorry…"_

_That is it_, Megumi thought as Sanosuke's arms lowered her to the futon. He himself joined her moments later, wriggling out of his sopping jacket, shoes, and bandages only to toss them upon the floor. _I don't need to worry about that…he's back, isn't he… _"Sano," she murmured, as the equally exhausted man made himself comfortable next to her, pulling Megumi gently against him.

"…_Aa_," he whispered softly, and Megumi paused when she heard his voice crack. Concerned, she looked up into his face and blinked in shock at what she saw there.

"Sanosuke?" she breathed, reaching up to cradle his cheek. His tears raced down his face, slipping under and over Megumi's fingers like fleeing, silver fireflies. There were very few occasions to which Megumi had seen Sanosuke cry, most of which were out of joy…but he seemed so very sad, so very tired now.

He tugged her close again, his breathing snagging in his throat amid his soft sobs. "Meg…" Lifting one arm, he enveloped Megumi's shoulders and the back of her head, weaving his long fingers in her raven hair. "Megumi…. I…I'm so sorry…"

"Why?" she whispered, her hands uncertainly slipping over his drying torso.

Swallowing softly, Sanosuke whispered, "…I was so…scared that I was makin' the wrong decision by leaving Japan…by leaving you… I was afraid I'd die, and leave you alone… I was scared you'd think I had died, and moved on with another man… b-but most of all…"

"I was scared…" he finished softly, his wet auburn eyes gliding down to meet Megumi's, "that I was being selfish, still wanting to love you like I do… when in fact now more than ever, I don't deserve you…"

_Why do you weep?  
What are these tears upon your face?  
Soon you will see,  
All of your fears will pass away,  
Safe in my arms.  
You're only sleeping… _

She held his hand, as he clasped her smaller one in his. The sharp noises of hooves slapped upon the ground outside the carriage traveling through downtown Tokyo, and both Sanosuke and Megumi waited anxiously to arrive at their destination.

Peeking at the contemplating lady beside him, Sanosuke allowed a mischievous smirk to slide over his lips. Reaching over, stealthily slipping her hand free of his, Sano bit his lip lightly as he snuck his fingers to rub Megumi's inner leg.

A smarting slap on his wrist was the startled reply, causing the Rooster to snicker while his Fox barked lectures of etiquette and proper manners; whether or not they were alone they were still in a public place.

"Whatever you say, Foxy," Sanosuke chuckled, casually leaning back against the hard wood of the carriage seat as he put his hands behind his head, stretching his long legs out before him. He no longer had his beloved shoulder-length hair; Megumi herself had insisted on cutting it. To Sano's surprise, Megumi trimmed it only so it could easily flip back into its Rooster-ish style.

_"I like my Rooster to look like a Rooster,"_ she had teased upon his inquiry. On top of his haircut, Sanosuke was also beseeched to shave; Megumi didn't recall seeing any local Roosters with beards—despite the fact Sanosuke sourly insisted it was only a stubble and a rather sexy one, too.

Slowly, the carriage came to a halt. Sanosuke looked up, tensing with anticipation as he got up and opened the door, only to turn about and let Megumi out first. Collecting their luggage, Sanosuke jumped out, signaling for the driver to go about his merry way.

Stepping up beside his love, Sanosuke let his eyes glide up to settle on a familiar sight, that in which his homesick heart had not set sight on in a very long time.

_What can you see  
On the horizon?  
Why do the white gulls call?  
Across the sea,  
A pale moon rises…  
The ships have come to carry you home. _

The noisy screeching of seabirds echoed in Sanosuke's mind, the smell of bittersweet salt wafting to his nose, the rhythmic crashing of waves against the shore… and the image of that looming ship that Sanosuke had voluntarily escaped his deeds upon, fleeing the country and his future…

He was jerked back to the present when Sanosuke felt warm fingers wrap around his own, leading him eagerly through the Kamiya Gates. Sanosuke let his eyes wander, drinking in every familiar sight of the Dojo as Megumi escorted him down the path to the porch.

Before they could even reach it, the door slid open to reveal a grinning young man that Sanosuke vaguely remembered; his appearance had changed so—Sanosuke gasped and laughed when the boy excitedly raced off the veranda to embrace him.

"Sanosuke!" yelled Yahiko; his voice had matured, too. "Sanosuke is back!"

Chuckling, Sano couldn't help but grin at the older version of the twerp he had left his apartment to, years ago. "Hey, Kenshin!" Sanosuke shouted at the Dojo, "Get out here; I'm being attacked by some freak who's pretending to be Yahiko-chan!"

A sound slug reverberated across Sanosuke's shoulder, widening his grin at the infuriation upon Yahiko's face at been called little. The doors to the Kamiya Dojo slid open to reveal a surprised Kaoru, and a smiling Kenshin. The two stepped out onto the porch, taken by the initial shock of Sanosuke's return, which seemed as sudden as his exit.

"S-S-Sanosuke…" Kaoru stammered, clenching her fists over her chest as tears filled her wide crystal eyes. She looked fairly the same, despite the fact her hair was now tied up in a bun instead of the tomboyish ponytail Sano remembered. "I…I…I…Sano, I…m…_missed you, you ass!_"

Instead of the teary-eyed embrace Sanosuke had half expected, he was met with a ferocious right hook right across the face. It didn't really hurt—none of her attacks did much but sting or ache; but to Sanosuke's shock he found that she had actually improved some. Obviously becoming a mother hadn't softened Kaoru's temper, no sir.

"_Oi, Jou-chan_," Sanosuke snickered, grinning and holding his face. Due to the excessive greetings, Sano had dropped all of the baggage he had been carrying, but Yahiko was already picking them up and bringing them inside the Dojo, whistling.

Kaoru turned to Megumi, grasping the amused doctor in a hug. "Megumi-san! _Konnichiwa_…" Looking up and smiling wide, Kaoru cocked her head curiously and raised her eyebrows in question. When Megumi nodded, Kaoru whooped, letting go of her friend and awarding Sanosuke with the hug he had first presumed. "Aah! Sanosuke, you lucky mutt!"

Rolling his eyes and teasingly patting the sobbing swords instructor upon the head, Sano grumbled, "Yeah, yeah, lucky…but really, a mutt, _Jou-chan_? Couldn't you call me something else?"

"Bird!"

There was a pause as the new, childish voice was acknowledged, all eyes drifting over inquisitively to the entryway into the building. A small child stood proudly there, hands upon his narrow hips. A fiery mop of hair was tied back into a short ponytail, contrasting pleasantly to the forest green gi that clothed the babyish body. A pair of sea-blue eyes smirked at the attention their owner received.

Sanosuke could have sworn a miniature Kenshin stood in the doorway, insulting him and his hair. "Bird!" cried the child in an almost accusing manner, complete with the pointing of his tiny finger.

Kenshin, smiling in amusement, bent down and picked up the pointing child. "This is Kenji, this one's son," Kenshin said his soft voice, looking at his missed friend happily.

Despite the newness of the content expression on Kenshin's face, Sanosuke was overcome by the irony and hilarity of both the resemblance between Kenshin and Kenji, and that the young boy seemed to have acquired Kaoru's eyes and tanuki personality.

Sanosuke laughed. While many things had stayed wonderfully the same; so much, indeed, had changed.

_And all will turn  
To silver glass…  
A light on the water;  
All souls pass… _

He lay awake, staring up at the ceiling solemnly. Sanosuke knew he should have been asleep hours ago, but his mind was busy thinking so much that it hurt his head. He couldn't possibly fall asleep, not now… shifting slightly, Sanosuke looked down and over at Megumi, who lay asleep on his chest. She was so perfectly happy with him; how could that be? He had left her so rudely…everyone knew Megumi deserved better.

_Then why?_ Sanosuke looked up at the ceiling again, sighing tiredly. _It's not fair, not to her…so why, then? Why does Megumi have to live with someone who's…_me?

After much thinking and questioning, Sanosuke finally came up with a satisfactory answer. _Because, life isn't fair, and in this case Megumi is glad of that fact, because she wants to be with you. She wants to live with you and your faults, because where you fail she succeeds, and where she lacks you flourish. As pieces of a puzzle link, you complete one another and are happy doing so. That is love._

Blinking in exhaustion, Sanosuke rolled over a bit. He cradled Megumi's sleeping figure against him, as he relaxed into his napping position upon his side, his left arm tucked beneath his head so Megumi could fit just underneath his jaw. Even the way they slept, was like the pieces of the puzzle Sanosuke had theorized about.

"It's good to be home, Megumi," he whispered into her hair, kissing her brow in contentment before closing his eyes to rest at last.

_Hope fades  
Into the world of night.  
Through shadows falling,  
Out of memory and time.  
Don't say, "We have come now to the end;"  
White shores are calling,  
You and I will meet again… _

His heart had ached, on that dreadful night four years ago. Megumi had sobbed hysterically into his chest, unwilling to let Sanosuke free as though he might disintegrate into a billion grains of sand if she dared to let go.

_"Please, don't leave me… don't leave me alone…"_ she kept begging, until Sano had felt bitter tears of his own rise in his lashes.

He embraced her, pressing her face into his shoulder gently with the palm of his hand as his nose nuzzled the side of Megumi's teary face. _"I'm sorry, Megumi… I'm only doing this because I love you, and—"_

_"If you loved me, you wouldn't leave me like this!"_ she shouted into his shoulder, giving his chest a halfhearted thump.

Sanosuke felt no physical pain, but his heart was tearing itself apart. _"Megumi, I have to leave, for you. If I don't, the cops will find me, and I don't know what they will do to you. It's best that I leave awhile, so my case can cool off before I come back. I promise, I'll come back… I promise, this isn't the end…"_

"_Why, Sanosuke…"_ Megumi kept crying, tugging pleadingly at the hem of his jacket. _"Sano… Sanosuke, I'm scared… I don't want you to…"_

_"I don't want me to, either,"_ Sanosuke purred softly, hugging her shaking frame against his own. He gulped; he was going to cry if he didn't do something soon. _"But I know I'll come back, you know…you know I'll come back, and I'll never leave again… you know that…"_

_Do I?_ Megumi had thought, and she had fallen asleep in her lover's arms, just as those tears had begun to fall from his grieving eyes.

_And you'll be here in my arms,  
Just sleeping… _

When Megumi awoke on her futon, covered in warm, thick blankets; she had never felt more alone when she realized that he was gone. His place upon the bed, his warmth, the sound of his breathing, and the scent of musk and the forest was missing… like a hole in Megumi's soul; Sanosuke was gone.

She had gotten up, fleeing through her home in search of her lover, hoping to find him to realize with joy that he had changed his mind. It was only then, when but an empty and silent house greeted Megumi, that she truly realized that he had left.

_What can you see  
On the horizon?  
Why do the white gulls call?  
Across the sea,  
A pale moon rises…  
The ships have come to carry you home. _

The waves crashed against the shore, on that morning, four years ago. They crashed against the rocky coast of Japan, white foam leaping onto the gritty beach. The pale morning sun gleamed down on the water, reflecting back up into Sanosuke's face as he leaned over the side of that ship he had fled upon, that ship that had stolen him away that day, four years ago.

_"I promise I'll come back," _he had muttered softly, _"I promise, I will…"_

A horn blew, startling the tall man out of his thoughts as he looked up. His hands sweated, and Sanosuke's heart hammered in his chest, seeming to crawl up into his throat and strangle him as the ship began leaving dock. He couldn't cry, not here.

_I'll cry_, he had decided, _when I get back._ _Only then… when I come back…_ Looking up, as he began drifting away, into the West on that ship, four years ago; Sanosuke watched Japan slip out of sight, hidden by the oceanic waves crested silver.

_And all will turn  
To silver glass…  
A light on the water;  
Grey ships pass  
Into the West. _

_OWARI._

_MadiSano: _Well, I hope I did that songfic to a well enough extent! I tried to make it a little dramatic, but intially I wanted it to be happy. I failed. LOL I reread it and it's actually sad! Oops. Also, I hope I got the right idea in Sano going westward in his seafaring journey? Since he went to China and Mongolia and whatnot...but then again he could have went East and made his way around, but I just decided to play it my way and pretend he went West. I thought it was kind of new of how I went backwards in time; going from Sano's return, to Sano reuniting with the rest of the Kenshingumi, and then back four years to Sano telling Megumi goodbye, to Sano finally leaving Japan. Weeeeiiird...oh well. :D It was fun. Reviews, please?

Well, onto the upcoming whatnot! To Lauz; thank you very much for the recommendation for "An Unexpected Love Story;" I liked it a lot! XD If anyone else is interested, you should most definitely read the fic! Anyways, I'm still a little unsure about what precisely I'm going to post next on this oneshot series...I'm thinking maybe I'll do Lara's request about how Megumi is forced to marry Sano against her will, for she believes she hates him! Don't worry, though. I'm sure our little fox will change her mind once she gets to know our baby chicken better! ;D Thanks Lara, I'll miss you! Have fun traveling, but don't be like our baka Roosterhead and stay away for four years! LOL!

I am going to post a new SanoMeg story soon! Yay! LOL! It's an AU. Check out my profile to read of what it is about, if you want to. :) Thank you very much, to all of my readers; your words warm my heart and make me smile! Love ya, ja!


	14. We're Even!

_Chapter Fourteen: We're Even! _

"Megumi-_sama_?"

The girl sitting at the edge of her bed glowered sourly at the servant peeking nervously at her from the doorway. Around the age of maybe seventeen, the tall girl was as eye-catching as any royal beauty; with long, sleek raven hair and a tiny but complete figure, dressed in pale skin that made her scarlet lips and maroon eyes glint obviously, like ruby against silk. A dark green kimono adorned her body, golden vines and leaves winding themselves down the skirt and sleeves, the collar speckled as though the bullion flora had shattered into thousands of grains of sand. The scarlet obi, rent by strokes of black, encircled her waist, the knot tied complexly with white.

The maid stepped inside, bowing respectfully before saying, "Megumi-_sama_, company will be here very soon; it's best that you get dressed now."

"I do not want to," replied the girl, rebelliously crossing her arms. Takani Megumi was the daughter of a powerful Japanese daimyo, a strictly loyal man named Takani Ryusei. Usually, Megumi was a very serene and accepting person, but her calm attitude had been recently ruined when her father proclaimed he planned to marry her away quite soon, to some boy Megumi didn't even know.

Sighing, the patient maid named Anzu came to Megumi's bedside. She studied the stressed girl for a moment, before asking, "Megumi-_sama_ doesn't want to meet her suitor, does she?"

"With due and utter respect," Megumi replied, though she didn't seem to want to pay any due and utter respect to the fact, "…no, I do not. I don't even know his name, much less of what he looks like!"

"Ryusei-_sama_ announced that you'd be married to the son of Sagara Souzou-sama," Anzu said, turning and rummaging through Megumi's accessories, picking out a few items and setting them upon the end table for future use. "Ryusei-_sama_ and Sagara-_sama_ are very good friends, so it doesn't come as much a surprise that they'd want their families to intermarry, if I'm not being too bold."

Megumi scowled, getting to her feet. "I bet he's ugly," she growled, folding her arms and walking up behind Anzu to see what she was picking out. "And I bet he's rude, and greedy, too. Things like these always end up a mess."

"Your mother and father were married like so, and yet they love one another quite happily," reminded Anzu, "but I'm in no place to defy your words."

"Don't mind that," Megumi said, when Anzu reached to pick out a new kimono. "I don't feel like completely changing; this kimono is fine on its own."

Anzu smiled and nodded, as Megumi sat on a stool, facing away from the maid. "_Hai_, Megumi-_sama_ looks lovely in dark green," said she, as she began brushing out the girl's hair. Using the comb and a black ornament, Anzu pulled back Megumi's hair into a bun, placing the black iris comb in the crevice where the bun met the sleek black hair. The flower was of course fake, with small, glittering streaks of white bordering the petals like icing.

"_Kirei_," exclaimed Anzu cheerfully, as she moved the full-length mirror for Megumi to examine herself in. "Ryusei-_sama_ is so blessed to have such a beautiful daughter like Megumi-_sama_, _ne_?"

Megumi smiled tightly, as her reflection did the same, looking into one another's identical eyes. But her thoughts were elsewhere.

-

Gazing miserably down at her feet, Megumi unclasped and clasped her hands, entangling her fingers and untangling them as she nervously waited outside the shoji screen. She could see lamplight flickering behind the light designs of plants and an elaborate golden and blue river, and soft male voices exchanging conversation within.

They were here. Megumi shivered in fright; she could hear her father chuckling happily, and a softer gentler man's voice laughing as well. She wondered of who the other could be; Megumi rarely attended her father's meetings, so she only knew a few of his colleagues. She had never heard this man's voice before… Megumi wondered if it was the voice of her suitor, and she almost smiled; he certainly sounded well-behaved, gentle, and polite.

Wondering if they might be talking about her, Megumi stole a quick look about before placing her long fingers against the shoji, about to pull it a bit away so she could peek inside.

Suddenly, a strong hand grasped her wrist from behind. Megumi nearly screamed; jumping like a startled fox she whirled about, magenta eyes wide. A young man, taller than she, grinned down at her. "It's not ladylike t'eavesdrop, missy," the boy said, letting her go. "Especially on the Ryusei-sama's company…you could get your pretty self into some serious trouble."

Megumi stared at him, halfway between embarrassment and curiosity. The man appeared to be a soldier or a samurai of some sort, though he had no sword; he surely looked far too casual to be of importance. His big, cavalier grin revealed handsome white teeth, and his tan features proved that he spent a lot of time outside, in the sun. The young man wore a white outfit, a red haori hanging loosely around his shoulders; the tie undone. His pallor gi had been ruffled as well, revealing some of his brown collarbone and the beginnings of his sun kissed chest. Wild brunette hair hung in his smiling chocolate eyes.

"Let go of me," Megumi hissed, slapping the careless man's hand away from hers. "Who do you think you are!"

He shrugged, holding up both hands as though to protect himself. "I'm Sanosuke," the young man said, grinning still. Megumi began to wonder if his mouth was stuck that way, though it moved perfectly fine when he talked.

"You have no business touching me like that," Megumi snapped, wiggling her wrist as though to rid it of the man's fingerprints. "I could have you confined… commit _seppuku_…"

Seemingly amused by her threats, the young man shrugged again, pulling up his collar a bit. "I'm very well sure you could, missy," said he, smirking. "But I do believe you are the one who was breaking the rules in the first place."

"_Mou_," Megumi muttered, irritated. Who was this pest! "I don't need someone watching over me like a mother hen, I'll have you know. I don't even know you, so you can go off on your merry way."

Raising his eyebrows, Sanosuke pointed to his feet. "I beg your pardon, but my merry way leads me right here, so I have no place to go merrily _to_."

Narrowing her eyes, Megumi turned fully about to give the obnoxious young man her best glare. Scrutinizing him as though he were a new kimono, Megumi looked him up and down, as though to intimidate him with the flash of her red eyes…and then, something caught her eye.

Frowning slightly, Megumi looked up arrogantly into the young man's brown eyes. "Hey," she growled, pointing at a bulge in the man's haori. "What's that, in your pocket?"

"Nothin'," was his innocent reply, but that huge grin on his face hadn't disappeared.

Clenching her fists menacingly at her sides, Megumi demanded, "Take it out! Now!"

"_Hai, hai_…" Rolling his eyes, he fished in his pocket, pulling out a small biscuit, in which was still hot. He grinned some more, cheekily taking a bit out of it and winking at Megumi.

"You took that from the kitchen!" Megumi yelped, flustered. "How in the world did you—"

Quirking a suggestive brow, the young man said, after taking another nibble of the treat, "The maids _gave_ it to me. I didn't _take_ it."

Megumi bristled, reading in-between the lines of his speech. Obviously this—Sanosuke person, whoever he was, had used his charm to fruitfully beg food from the kitchen girls. Megumi never liked them. They were just a bunch of flirts, anyways. This proved her point.

"Despicable," said Megumi, snapping her fingers and holding out her hand. When Sanosuke gave her a clueless gaze, she said, "Whatever you have left, give it to me. If you're really so starving as to have to beg for food, then you should go out and use the money that bought you those clothes instead of mooching off my father."

Shoving the rest of the biscuit into his mouth, Sanosuke swallowed and smiled, though a look of wonder crossed his features. "Mooch? Beg? _Iiya, Jou-chan_…I don't mooch, and I don't beg—I don't need to, when I'm this handsome."

"Handsome, my foot!" Megumi snarled, infuriated at his arrogant talk.

Looking down at her shoes, Sanosuke nodded, agreeing. "_Hai_, I'd say your shoes are very handsome; expensive, too. But I don't recall talking about your feet, in the first place, missy."

Megumi had never wanted to kill someone. She had never felt the urge to wrap her pretty fingers about someone's throat and throttle them, never, until she met this bigheaded brat. "I'm so sick of this! Who _are_ you?"

"Sanosuke-sama? Megumi-sama?"

The bickering couple looked over at the parted shoji, to find a samurai holding it open. Blinking, the swordsman said, "Takani-sama and Sagara-sama will see you now."

Megumi tossed a murderous look over her shoulder to Sanosuke, who simply smirked; though questions were obviously plastered over the faces of the both of them. Megumi took a step forward, about to follow the samurai into the room, when it hit her like a wave.

Her breathing snagged in her chest, and her eyes went wide in horror as she looked again over her shoulder in terror; to find Sanosuke leaning over from behind to whisper into her ear. "Don't get sick of me just yet, Megumi. It looks like I'll be around for a _very_ long time."

-

Megumi lay on her bed, looking up at the ceiling in a sort of shocked trance. After a few minutes, she blinked…and went back to motionlessly staring at the ceiling. It was official; Takani Megumi was to be married away in less than three weeks…

…to the biggest prick on the planet.

Trying to get a positive outlook, Megumi counted the things she liked about Sagara Sanosuke, from what little—agitating—conversation they shared, and from what he said to her father. What frustrated Megumi even more was that the young man's attitude changed completely once he had stepped into Ryusei's presence. He had gone from a careless, biscuit-munching brat to a cool, calm and collected, dignified man in less than three seconds!

Wait. She was supposed to be thinking of the positive effects of this situation. Megumi took a deep breath, calming the storm of her mind, and tried her best to think go what exactly she _did_ like about Sanosuke. _Well_, thought Megumi, struggling to keep calm. _He's… got nice eyes._

Indeed, Megumi could agree with that. Despite the fact the owner was a frustrating miscreant, the shining pools of dark auburn were definitely enough to make even the most determined woman melt. Megumi closed her eyes and thought hard about those eyes; she figured that if she could not love any part of this man, she could love his beautiful brown eyes. Yes, that was it. She'd have to pretend she liked him.

When Megumi reopened her eyes, she was shocked to find them brimmed with tears. She…couldn't really be upset about being married to someone she hated, could she? No. No, she was stronger than this…she had simply closed her eyes too tightly—yes, that was it. Megumi nodded to herself. She wasn't _crying_.

Suddenly, she heard the clang of metal against metal outside her window. Curious, Megumi sat up, wiping her eyes carefully before getting to her feet and creeping to the window.

Looking down in the courtyard, Megumi found that Sanosuke and one of the samurai that had accompanied Souzou-sama and his son were sparring. The samurai had shoulder blade length, brown hair, and sad brown eyes beneath a green headband…Megumi wouldn't exactly call him handsome, but he was better than most men.

Sanosuke wielded a long spear, the weapon making shrill whooshing noises as he viciously struck at the samurai, who was taken by surprise and nearly cut. "Damn, Katsu," Sanosuke huffed. "You're slow!"

"No, I'm not," the swordsman, Katsu, replied. "I'm thinking more of you than our sparring. You just seemed so… ticked off. What's your problem?"

"My problem? _My_ problem?" Sanosuke rolled his eyes. "Who said I had a problem! It's that _woman's_ problem that frustrates me, and now I have to _marry_ her, when she obviously hates me. She's gonna poison my food, Katsu. Or, kill me in my sleep. I don't know…"

Katsu sighed. "Sanosuke-san, with all due respect… you're being a _blockhead_."

Sanosuke shot him a sadistic glower. "Am I?"

"Yeah," Katsu said, grinning. "When I opened the shoji door and found you two, it was kind of obvious you didn't try all that had to make a good first impression on her. And don't think your little shenanigan concerning those biscuits was overlooked; you should have seen the fit the maid threw when she discovered all those crumbs in your pocket…"

Smirking, Sanosuke initiated the battle once more, tossing his spear into an obvious attack so Katsu the samurai would know to begin again. "Yare, yare…. I don't think Megumi appreciated my bravery, either…"

"I wouldn't call it bravery," replied Katsu, "more like pig-headed food-mongering." Ignoring Sanosuke's glower and blocking his irritated strike, Katsu continued, "Anyhow, Sanosuke-san, are you really going to go on calling her just Megumi? I mean, isn't there something a little more respectful that even a brute like you can call her?"

Swishing his spear over Katsu's head, Sanosuke growled, "You are so damned lucky you're my friend, Katsu; otherwise I would have split you in half for that."

Katsu rolled his eyes, jabbing at Sanosuke so that the latter would parry. "Back to the topic, _Tori Atama-sama_…and, that rhymed…"

Huffing indignantly, Sanosuke pushed aside his friend's insulting rhyme and said, "So what do you propose I call her? Megumi-sama? Too formal; she'll think I'm a prick—"

"Correction; she _already_ thinks you're a prick," corrected Katsu.

Sanosuke continued, doing his best to keep emotionally indifferent, and transferring his irritation into his attacks. "I can't call her Megumi-san; that's too casual—"

"You're a casual kind of guy," Katsu drawled.

Grunting in agitation, Sanosuke made a swift attack at Katsu's right shoulder, infuriated that it was once again blocked. "And if I call her Megumi-chan, she'll most likely slap me—"

"Most likely she's going to slap you eventually, anyways," said Katsu. Sanosuke growled, jabbing his weapon near Katsu's abdomen, but he was quickly apprehended when Katsu dodged past the attack, throwing Sanosuke off balance and promptly onto his bottom.

Smirking down at his unfortunate friend, Katsu gave Sanosuke a light rap on the head with the hilt of his sword, announcing, "You're too thickheaded, young monk, to understand the deep and melancholy depths of this mysterious virtue unexplainably called love."

"_Hai_, _sensei_," replied Sanosuke sarcastically, folding his arms. "So, what should this _young monk_ do?"

Katsu put his hands upon his hips, grinning widely down at Sanosuke. "Why, of course! Young monk, listen carefully to what your experienced, wise old teacher must say unto you. In order to fully grasp the sword hilt of true love, young monk, you must first begin with the shield of true _friendship_."

-

Megumi walked down the hall, silent and emotionless on the outside, while on the inside she was practically bubbling with feeling. After overhearing and watching Katsu and Sanosuke's conversation, she was both more enlightened and confused about this Sanosuke man than before.

_He's definitely got a sense of humor_, Megumi thought, _which is something I can usually do without. And yet he's got a good family. He can't be all bad; though he seems to be a little spoiled…_

Megumi sighed, sliding open a shoji that lead to the front room, leading to the courtyard. It had been well after a half hour, so Megumi was certain Sanosuke and Katsu had gone. Stepping out onto the veranda, Megumi called to the passing maid that she was going to take a walk in the courtyard.

Taking light, silent steps, Megumi walked the familiar path down the garden, passing over a small bridge overseeing a shallow creek. Letting her eyes rove over the flowers and statues of various sizes, Megumi shivered when the crisp spring air chilled the back of her neck.

"Did anyone ever tell you that pretty girls with long, pretty necks are bound to get sick if they walk around exposing their long, pretty necks to the cold?"

Turning about with dread, Megumi's fears were confirmed when she spotted Sanosuke himself sitting on the banister of the small bridge Megumi had just passed over. He looked at her curiously, cocking his head to one side as his chocolate eyes studied her from head to toe.

Determined to keep herself distinguished, Megumi replied in a very offhand tone, "I appreciate your compliments concerning my neck, Sagara-san, but I really don't see the need of a coat when it's actually quite warm for spring."

"Is it?" Sanosuke asked, pushing off the handrail of the little red bridge and coming to stand beside her. Neither looked at the other, and continued their conversation as though they were shy strangers. "In Hakodate, it's extremely cold…"

"Probably because it is so far north," replied Megumi, struggling inside not to add, 'Dunce!' to the end of the remark.

The mysterious light sprang back into Sanosuke's eyes, as he turned his cheek to look at her with a smirk. "Excellent observation, my lady."

Megumi felt the heat of infuriation rise to her cheeks, as she clenched her teeth and flat out scowled at the boy. While Megumi had kept herself polite, Sanosuke had to ruin everything and use the sarcasm Megumi had refrained from using! Megumi looked down at her feet, mentally reciting every foul word she had ever heard in her life at light speed in her mind. This man was really irritating her!

"Hey," Sanosuke growled, rudely poking her in the arm. "You ever been horseback riding?"

Megumi gave him a startled look. "Y-You mean… a… no!" Frowning at him, Megumi chided, "Of course I haven't! What kind of _lady_ would ride such a _beast_?"

"My friend Kaoru back home does," Sanosuke informed her. "She kicks some serious ass in swordsmanship, too."

Scowling, Megumi spat, "Then why don't you go back home and marry her, if you're so pleased with her manliness?"

Smirking, Sanosuke purred, "Because both your father and mine, and my friend Kenshin who's completely smitten by her, would seriously kick _my_ ass. Though I'm sure you'd be especially happy if I did, wouldn't you?"

"I'm in no place to answer that," Megumi muttered, folding her arms crossly.

"Great answer, 'cause technically, I wasn't in any place to ask you it," he replied.

Exasperated, Megumi sighed and turned to Sanosuke, giving him a tired but irritated look. "Sanosuke… what do you _want_ from me? Why do you bother me? I'm tired _already_ of you! Can't you try to act a little bit more like an actual human being, rather than a sadistic three-year-old?"

He fell quiet, averting his eyes, casting them both into a moment of tense silence. Feelings and thoughts flew behind the no longer smiling, cavernous brown eyes; instead they seemed rather solemn. "Megumi," said he, at last. He looked up and met her burgundy orbs, and continued, "I never wanted to hurt or ruin your little princess life here. But did it really ever occur to you that I was just as forced as you into this situation? That I had no choice of whether or not I was going to marry you?"

Putting his hands into his pockets, Sanosuke said, "You know, sometimes I really envy those poorer people, 'cause whether they realize it or not, even if they don't got that much money, they're pretty lucky. For the most part, they're freer in choice than I am. They can decide who they wanna marry—usually, anyway; and they can pretty much choose their lives for themselves. They can up'n'leave if they wanna. But I can't do that, and neither can you, Megumi. We're stuck here, and we're gonna be married whether we like it or not."

"So…" Taking his hands out of his pockets and looking over at Megumi's somber expression, Sanosuke asked, "Since we're obviously off on the wrong shoe…foot, toe, whatever; do you just wanna start off as friends? I know I'm a bit of a selfish jerk sometimes, but that's just the way I am. And from what I noticed, you're a bit of a prissy little girl. So we're even, ne?"

Megumi stared at the man next to her in wonder. No one had ever spoken to Megumi in such a plain, honest way; with no strings attached. Then again, no one had dared to call her a prissy little girl before, either. Finally, under Sanosuke's intent stare, Megumi smiled lightly and nodded. "Hai, Sanosuke….being friends, I can handle."

"If you're gonna be my friend, you can call me Sano," replied he, with a laid-back grin. Excitement sparkled into his eyes once more, and suddenly Sano gently took Megumi's wrist, leading her off into the courtyard. "C'mon! I wanna show ya somethin'!"

"H-Hey!" Megumi yelled, but had no choice as Sanosuke eagerly lead her across the garden, into the courtyard near the thick forest. He led her further, down a small stone path until they reached a small range of stalls with horses in them. Licking his lips, Sanosuke lead Megumi to a cell that held a beautiful, brown and black creature with the biggest brown eyes Megumi had ever seen.

"This is my horse," Sano announced with pride, grinning at the startled Megumi. "Her name is Nayoko." Pausing, Sanosuke grinned wide when he glanced back at Megumi, who was looking rather frightened but intrigued. "You've never been this close to one before, right? …Here."

Megumi blinked when she felt Sanosuke's large, tanned hand drift down to clasp over her smaller, white one, lifting it so that her long fingers rested atop Nayoko the horse's nose. Megumi winced, frightened, but was ultimately surprised when she found that Nayoko's pelt was incredibly soft.

Observing Megumi's slight apprehension, Sanosuke softly controlled her movements by helping her hand along, using his own hand to assist Megumi in petting the horse. "She likes you," Sanosuke said with another smile. "Do you want to ride her?"

Looking once more shocked, Megumi stammered, "I… I don't think it's very ladylike for someone like me t-to—"

"Hmph, just like it's not ladylike to eavesdrop, ne?" he teased, sidestepping and undoing the gate so that he could lead Nayoko out of her stall. The animal seemed so big now to Megumi; she looked up into its large brown eyes with fear and wonder as Sanosuke easily climbed atop Nayoko's back.

Megumi scarcely had time to contemplate what was happening before Sanosuke seized her by the waist, lifting her off the ground with a single arm and plopping her down in front of him sidesaddle. "H-Hey!" Megumi cried, instinctively latching right onto Sanosuke like a leech, gripping the sides of his gi.

As much as he enjoyed having one as beautiful as Megumi embracing him, Sano would much rather have the enjoyment of actually being able to breathe while doing so. "You're kind of killing me, Missy," he chuckled, prying her shaking hands off of him and helping her into a more comfortable position. "There ya go. Now, hang on tight…just, not too tight."

Before Megumi could reply, Sanosuke nudged Nayoko's sides and set the horse trotting at a steady pace from her stall, out into the field. They weren't going fast at all, but Sano was concerned to find Megumi quivering like a leaf against him.

"Hey, it's okay," he promised with a sure-fire smile. "Nayoko's been doin' this sort of thing for longer than we were born. Calm down, I'm gonna get her to go faster. Try to enjoy it; you're not going t'fall off."

Pressing his heels a big harder into Nayoko's sides, Sanosuke smiled when the horse immediately responded, conveying into a run. Megumi tensed, but reluctantly tried to take Sano's advice. She straightened her back, forcing herself not to cling to Sanosuke's gi quite as tightly, lifting her head.

Megumi was surprised at how nice it felt, to feel the wind run its invisible fingers through her hair, washing over her features and wakening a smile on her lips. She glanced back at Sanosuke, who smiled back at her delight.

"I told you," he growled, evidently quite proud of himself for banishing Megumi's fear of riding. Megumi slapped the arm about her lightly, but said nothing as she turned her face against the wind again, the soft smile still upon her painted lips.

Megumi gasped, as her hair came undone. Sanosuke seemed rather surprised as well, his mouth forming the perfect O-shape when the black flower holding Megumi's hair up landed in his lap. Megumi blushed as her hair tumbled back, brushing softly against Sanosuke's neck and chest.

Nayoko was slowed to a halt, and for a moment Sanosuke and Megumi simply stared at one another in slight awkwardness. Then, licking his lips nervously, Sanosuke picked up the black flower and tilted Megumi's chin upwards with his other hand, so he could see her face completely.

He smiled, blushing slightly. "You look beautiful with your hair down," he said softly, pushing the raven flower back into the side of her thick, midnight locks. "You look less like a doll and more like a woman."

Megumi blushed back, mumbling his name and tilting her head aside so Sano couldn't see her eyes. Realizing what he had just said, Sanosuke reddened a bit more and told her, "I'm sorry… I just meant…"

"I know," Megumi muttered, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "And I appreciate it. Thank you."

Sanosuke smiled in relief, turning his horse about to return to the stall. "I think I'm a little less concerned about being married to you, Megumi. I like being around you."

"I think I like being around you, too, Sano," Megumi replied, smiling. Then, to Sanosuke's astonishment, her lips quirked in the most wicked smile Sano had ever witnessed a woman with. "But of course, that still means you're going to be sleeping on the floor for a good while."

"On the floor?" he whined.

"Yes. I'm not comfortable sharing a futon with you just yet, Sagara-san," Megumi growled.

Defeated, Sanosuke nodded sheepishly. "Someday, though, right?"

"I suppose."

Softly, so Megumi would not hear, he muttered, "_Yatta_!"

Megumi cast him a look. "I heard that."

"Hear what?" he asked innocently.

"_Baka Tori-Atama_."

"You've been talking to Katsu!"

"Have not. I have never spoken a word to him."

"I can't believe you..._Kitsune_."

"Excuse me!"

"I guess we're even, then!" And he began laughing. "Fox Lady! Kitsune-onna!"

Megumi shook her head in amusement, noticing the way Sanosuke's eyes followed the shimmer of her hair when she did so. _Maybe_, Megumi thought, smiling at Sano and watching her reflection do the same in his bright toffee eyes, _that Katsu man is right. In order to find true love, I must find true friendship…and maybe, Sanosuke will be the one to give it to me. We're not in love, but I'm beginning to think that maybe we're both undergoing some confusion in that area; but like children learning to walk, we'll find ourselves out. We really are even, aren't we, Rooster-Head? _

_OWARI._

_MadiSano: _I enjoyed writing this fiction. :P It was suggested by Lara; thank you very much! I know I didn't spend much time on the whole process of Japanese betrothal; I did some research and decided it was too -blah- to include. I decided to do a sweet, more friendship-based fiction; since Sano and Megumi indeed have only known one another for a day. :) The beginnings of a cute crush and soon love! Yay! LOL I had fun with this...but I know it was a bit OOC to make Katsu a samurai, and Sano's love-advisor for that matter. Oh well! LOL!

I'd like to draw you SanoMeg fan's attention to a newly posted fiction of mine:D I told you about it last chapter, but I'd like to remind you again...it's called "Do You Believe In Me?" And it's an AU SanoMeg fiction, where Megumi is a new teacher at Sano's high school! Sano has a tough homelife; his parents divided and yet his mother has died, his father has taken up alcohol and the habit of abuse, and Sanosuke's grades have totally died. And then, of course, Sanosuke developes a crush on his teacher, Megumi herself:D Megumi offers to tutor Sanosuke, so to help out his grades; and partially because she's worried about Sano's home life. I haven't posted the next chapter yet, but I will tell you that our Kitsune-onna won't let our baby rooster fly on his own. ;) I hope you all like this post, and my newest fiction! I love you all, and thank you for your reviews! Bye!


	15. Her Happiness

_Story: Her Happiness _

_(This fiction has no connection to "Making Eternity", just to let you know.)_

_Sanosuke's Point of View_

You know, I've heard before that proposing is one of the toughest, scariest things a guy has to do. Simply said, you have to get down on one knee in front of the girl, and while holding out a ring, ask her to marry you. That's the western style proposition, which I tried my best to do—though the first time I tried I kind of ended up slipping and somehow landing on my face.

It's a good thing Megumi didn't question of why in the world I started kneeling like that; she just took it as some random, weird something that a typically random, weird guy like me would do. So I ditched the ring idea, and went back to the old-fashioned plan of asking her to marry me verbally, without any silly rings or kneeling.

Needless to say, talking is usually easy enough, unless you have to say those four words, while looking at her dead-on, plus you have to keep a straight face without suffering a nervous breakdown. Oh, sure, it _looks_ easy—but then again; most things that look easy are usually pretty hard, anyways.

I failed the straight face, the eye contact, and the no-nervous breakdown parts, but I managed to ask Megumi before my heart gave out. It's kind of stupid, now that I think about it—she's already told me she loves me, so I don't really get of how she could actually say no. But she said yes, so it's not really that bothersome anymore.

But no one ever mention of how hard, scary, and tough getting _married_ was. I mean, can you imagine sitting down in a strange, poofy, black outfit with a bunch of people staring at you from behind? Yeah, well, I suppose I got it easy—Megumi was going to have to wear some white thing that looked more like a giant, white hairball that's been blow-dried to the size of a train.

Oh yeah. I was going to absolutely, undoubtedly, unspeakably, _die_. Painfully, too. I can imagine the headlines in the news: "Youthful Rooster croaks due to post-wedding heebie-jeebies." Yup. I'm dead.

These wedding things are, I bet, purposely _designed_ to freak the couple out. For example, have you ever heard or read Shinto wedding vows? I have a hard time remembering what street I live on, and they expect me to memorize….ah, what, a MILLION lines of _wedding vows_?

Not to mention on my traditional clothing, there's this fuzzy thing that looks sort of like a dust bunny, hanging from two strings on my _gi_. I've never been in a wedding before, so I have no idea what it is…but, as I walk now with Megumi and the gang, following the priest, to the _jinja_ (shrine), I've discovered it's really fun to play with. Megumi shot me a nasty, no-no look, so I quickly left it alone. Feh. Wait until I tease her later about how she looks like a white mushroom with that puffy white thing on her head!

I'm being a little negative, yeah—but when you're so freaking scared to the point of wetting yourself, you're going to be a _little_ tense. When we got to the jinja, we and everyone else had to wash our hands and mouths in holy water. Now, I don't have any particular idea of how water can be holy, but I decided to drop it. Being a sort of uneducated, casual kind of guy, I'm a little rough on appreciation of all this formal gunk.

Nearly forgetting to bow, I was lucky that I saw Megumi slowing ahead of time before I walked right into the jinja. It was kind of weird, but it was over as quick as it had started, and we went inside the shrine without another ritual.

Eventually Megumi (in her big, puffy hairball dress) and I (in my black and gray suit with the white dust bunny) were seated upon the floor, facing each other, with some space in-between us for Kami. Megumi seemed far away from me, since we sat apart; but she looked no where near as nervous as I. Her calm, beautiful features matched those of when she worked at the clinic; making me feel all the more silly and cowardly. I was more scared now then ever before, and I could imagine Kenshin and Kaoru smirking and snickering silently at my damn nervousness. Some friends.

It was dead silent. I'm not the sort of person who's used to this sort of quiet; the closest I've got to quiet is when I tried to follow Kenshin to Kyoto, but somehow ended up in the mountains. The forest was still enough, but it had the chirping of birds and the swishing of trees, so it wasn't _this_ quiet. Goosebumps appeared all over my arms, but no one knew that except me, thanks to my _gi_.

Suddenly, a loud, dull beat echoed throughout the _jinja_. I nearly jumped, but managed not to as I realized it was only the priest, beating a _taiko_, or a drum. It felt different; each thud seemed to pass through me like a rolling heartbeat, with its own weight and emotion. It kind of reminded me of a stone dropping through water; that's the image I got as the priest awoke the spirits with the pounding of the _taiko_.

I watched as the priest seized a staff, with a set of paper streamers attached to it; and he waved it over us and the onlookers. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to look about and watch everything, so I kept my head as still as I could, and let my eyes wander behind my lashes. It's not like the priest would notice and clonk me on the head in the middle of the ceremony just because I was curious; otherwise I'll was _his_ mouth out in holy water, and give _him_ a few prayers. _Namu Amida Butsu_. Or wait, that's Buddhism, isn't it? If that's what Anji used to say, then it…never mind….

As I thought, my eyes flicked back to the priest, my ears absorbing the weirdly nasal tune of his chants to Kami. He spoke so fast, and in the same, sing-song tune, as he offered food to the gods. I mimicked Megumi, holding myself in a humble pose; I just hoped no one saw how badly my hands were shaking, and sweating, for that matter.

Of course, we had rehearsed this entire thing before; but the whole ritual seemed new and frightening as it proceeded. I spotted the _miko_—the helpers of the priest—carrying something small and flat to the priest, who picked up a pitcher and tipped it to pour something into the thing. He leaned the pitcher forwards, and withdrew it, and then did so another time before pouring in a certain amount of liquid I knew very well. My senses spiked with excitement as the miko brought the cup to me, to begin the next stage of the wedding.

_Megumi's Point of View _

The ceremony had gone beautifully, so far. I was extremely thankful that Sanosuke was doing his best to keep himself in line, and not to mess up. However, I knew very well he was as frightened as a lost puppy in a thunderstorm over there, despite his stoic expression. The way his hands slightly fidgeted, and his eyes flickered everyplace; I could tell.

Now, I had to be concerned about the next ritual; the San-San-Kudo (Three-Three-Nine), or the ritual of threes. Having done some research, I already knew about it. The San-San-Kudo was a ritual in which the marrying couple shared three cups of sake, in which increase in size as they go along. Each person had to take three sips for each cup; the first two fake, the last one a real sip. The only worrisome thing about this ordeal was that I was nervous Sanosuke might forget this, and drink it all without thinking.

Studying him out of the corner of my eye, I noticed his bright boyish eyes go wide with glee when the miko brought him the first cup. _Oh please, don't_, I begged inside, as Sanosuke pressed the edge of the cup to his lips. _Remember what we practiced, Sano, remember…_

The cup tipped, and for a horrendous moment, it seemed like had already drank it. But then the lowered itself again, only to tip up once more a moment later. Not a drop of the rice wine had been drunk. I noticed Sanosuke was peering at me as well, keeping himself in form so that no one else would know. His eyes smirked at me—he knew very well of what I had been fretting over.

He took the third and actual swallow, returning the container to the miko, who brought it to me. I preformed the ritual without stumble, finishing off what was left of the sake on the third tip.

The next cup was brought to me, first. It was larger than the other cup, but still just as flat. After performing my part, the cup went to Sano, who finished it happily, though, only his eyes showed it. I couldn't help but wonder if the priest's agreement to marry us would have differed if he had known Sanosuke was an unemployed gangster who used to clobber people for money, and now frequently freeloads off of his trusted ones.

Finally, the third, last, and largest cup of sake was brought; firstly to Sanosuke. He managed to resist temptation for the first two sips, but then guzzled well more than half of the sake. I wanted to somehow lift up the statue of Kami next to me and flatten him with it, but unfortunately I'm not the kind of person who could find a way to do so without garnering unwanted attention. The miko, looking slightly sheepish, brought the remainder of the sake to me. I finished the ritual, downing the little bit of alcohol left, making sure to cast a sideways glower of spite to my pleased Rooster.

His content expression soured a bit when the priest finished preparing the alter, asking for us to rise and come. I knew what was bothering him so; it was time to make our vows, which worried Sanosuke to no end. But he followed me grudgingly as I stood; and I felt guilty for him, wishing I could reach out and take his hand. He probably would have liked that, too; but we'd ruin the ceremony.

I was nervous as well. The vows were delicate and difficult, and Sanosuke had to do the most reading. He flicked me a quick look like that of an injured animal as he struggled to hold the parchment of vows correctly, managing to do so to a respectable length. He took a frightened, snagged, but soft sigh, and began to recite the vows.

Though it's a surprise to many, but I love to listen to Sano read. His soft, deep voice read the words like a musician's instrument does the notes, and the tune combined with the shyness of his voice make it all the more adorable. He's often self-conscious about his literary skills; and while I'll admit his writing is sloppy, and his spelling and grammar are in worse condition than his right hand; his reading is so cute and lovely to listen to.

Lifting my eyes, I could feel the slightly surprised atmosphere emanating from our audience. Ken-san and Kaoru-chan sat near, smiling happily, while Yahiko-kun and Tsubame-chan simply peeked at us with astonishment, probably because of Sanosuke's unknown reading skills. Tae-san, Misao-chan, Aoshi, Genzai-sensei, Ayame-chan, Suzume-chan, and Katsu-san were present as well, silent and respectful. Of course, there was one person present that Sanosuke absolutely threw a tantrum about inviting; the boy had declared he'd pick me up and kidnap me to a faraway town were we could get married without any friends to watch if I insisted on inviting this man. But, of course, I got my way eventually, and we invited him.

Wonderfully enough, Saitou hadn't made a disturbance of himself at all. To my greater glee, he had even kept himself from smoking inside the _jinja_! In fact, it was simply a miracle in itself that Saitou was there at all. I wondered if Sanosuke took this as a sign of respect from the man, or if Sano saw it as something else; it's hard to tell sometimes of what exactly Sanosuke feels about a situation unless you can talk to him about it and look in his eyes. I think that is what his most fatal flaw is as a fighter; you can read him easily, just by looking into the pools of brown behind his eyelashes.

With a slight stammer, which brought me out of my musing, Sanosuke finished his vows, and I spoke my part easily, for it was very short. As the parchment was replaced, and we made out way back to our seats, Sanosuke's hand sneakily brushed against mine. I could tell he was extremely relieved that it was over; but nevertheless we didn't forget to walk correctly. Knowingly we didn't turn our backs completely to Kami, the movements our inside feet stepping in union, though poor Sano got slightly confused when we neared our seats, and got a little out of timing.

He glanced over sheepishly at me, and I smiled.

-

I lay awake that night, weary from celebration, and from Sano's nocturnal needs. Sanosuke snored softly beside me, his arms around my bare waist and holding me against him as he slept. Having never seen Sanosuke like this before, I sleepily watched his boyish features as they remained unstressed and smooth. I had given my everything to this man; my trust, my safety, my funds (you'd think I'd be petrified about that, and just to note, you're right), my love, my home, my heart, my purity, and my future. Without this man, without Sanosuke, I have no future.

They say love is giving someone the strength, power, and ability to destroy you, but trusting them not to. It's true. And what is stranger is that it's really not as frightening as it sounds, and if it is, either it's not true love or you're overcomplicating things. Sanosuke and I, we overcomplicated things hideously—causing us to climb up from the depths of hatred, to the plains of competitors, finally to the point of friendship. It took us ages even to get there; and I won't even begin to think of how difficult it was to admit to love.

But I think what I like most about all of that is the result. I like to think that the struggles, hardships, arguments, misunderstandings, and such only made our love all the more precious and special. After all, what value is something you easily receive? Now that I am here, in Sanosuke's arms, I am not frustrated with the past hardships I faced to get to this point, as I used to be. In fact, I'm satisfied with them.

Sanosuke mumbles in his sleep, his expression tightening slightly only to relax once more. His eyes moved behind their lids; my husband was dreaming, about what I could only imagine. Reaching up, I do my best to ignore the nagging heaviness of my eyelids, and I stroke his face. His cheeks are soft-skinned, with the slight itch of facial hair. A smile forms my lips as the image of Sanosuke attempting to shave without slicing his nose off comes to me, and I laugh softly as he smiles as well.

His dreams cease, as my fingers rove up to his temple, gliding through his hair and combing back the stubborn spikes. An unexplainable connection floats between the two of us, something I can't really define; a kind of closeness that makes me want to set free my soul from my body and just be closer to Sanosuke then ever before, breaking our limits and reaching out into the unexplored voids of our love.

It's confusing and unsure, but I think that as long as I stay with him, I'll be able to live to my fullest. Sano is my breath of life, my happiness, my love, my mind, my heart, my world…it's ridiculous to some, I know; but this love I feel is outrageous on its own. It's real, unlike a lot of love and marriage. My love is true and stable, I feel that—most things in my life have always let me down, broke from beneath my feet, betrayed me… everything has, except my Sano. Sanosuke's always been there, whether affectionately or not; whether it's by yelling at me for being stupid, or holding me tight when I am sad, Sanosuke's always been there to be my fortress and shield.

He is my happiness.

_OWARI._

_MadiSano:_ As you can tell, I am alive! LOL. I apologize to you all for the absurdly late update; life has caught up to me! ORO! ...heh, anyways, I am sorry; but if my updates do come a little slower for a bit, it's because of the exams and such I am taking in order to get into an appropriate spot in high school. Feh. It feels like I'm applying for college instead, but hey... This post was more of a feel-good, mushy, mega-fluff fic; and some people like that. This fic was requested by Crewel; and I thank her VERY much for this request; I learned quite a lot about Shintoism and even learned some new Japanese words! Thank you very much!

You will NOT believe how many requests I got for a continuation of "We're Even!" LOL. In fact, I plan to do an AU fic sort of based on the same idea, only it takes place in modern days; once I finish "Do You Believe In Me?". And yes, Crewel, I am talking about your idea :)

Since a lot of people like action-packed romance, I am going to post the kind of fic everyone likes! Adventure, romance, action, humor, drama... the works. LOL. The next post I plan on was requested by Roosterboy. I instantly fell in love with the idea, since I am a hardcore Pirates of the Caribbean fan! XD LOL. Sano the pirate! Megumi the princess! (imagines Sano in scruffy, Captain Jack Sparrow-like pirate gear) O.O (passes out) ...Okay, I'm back. Hehe. Anyways, the inital plot is that Sanosuke kidnaps Megumi in order to attain ransom from her father, but while at first the girl drives him completely nuts, in the end Sano isn't so sure he wants to give Megumi back... Until then! Ja!


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